Þorramatur

Ingredients

From the shop

• 200 ghákarl — fermented shark, in small cubes
• 300 ghangikjöt — smoked lamb, sliced thin
• 1rúllupylsa — pressed rolled lamb flank, sliced
• 300 gslátur — blood and liver sausage, sliced
• 1block sviðasulta — pressed sheep-head terrine
• 200 gharðfiskur — wind-dried fish
• 200 gsúrsaðir hrútspungar, if you can get them

From the kitchen

• 500 gpotatoes, boiled and peeled
• 300 gswede, boiled and mashed with butter
• flatkökur — Icelandic rye flatbread
• salted butter, in quantity
• rúgbrauð — dark rye bread

To drink

• brennivín, from the freezer

Directions

1. Buy the preserved components. Every one of them — the shark, the smoked lamb, the whey-soured pieces — is a months-long farm process, and the platter is an assembly, not a cure. This is exactly how Icelandic households do it.
2. Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel them while warm, and keep them whole. Boil and mash the swede with plenty of butter.
3. Take the hákarl out of its container only when you are ready to serve, and cut it into cubes the size of a fingernail. The ammonia smell fills a room within minutes, which is why it is traditionally opened outdoors.
4. Slice the hangikjöt, rúllupylsa, slátur and sviðasulta thin, and break the harðfiskur into strips.
5. Arrange everything on a wooden board or, traditionally, in a shallow trough, keeping each item in its own group rather than mixed together.
6. Put out the flatkökur, rye bread and a great deal of butter — harðfiskur in particular is eaten with as much butter as fish.
7. Serve the brennivín ice cold from the freezer in small glasses, and eat the hákarl with a shot immediately after. That order is not a joke; it is how it is done.

Technique

• Open the hákarl outdoors or by an open window, and take out only what will be eaten. The smell does not clear quickly.
• Cocktail sticks for the shark. It is eaten in single small cubes and not handled with fingers.
• The 1958 revival at Naustið in Reykjavík is what made this a fixed midwinter menu — before that these were simply what a farm had left in February.

Substitutions

• Skip the hákarl and the soured pieces for a milder platter, which many younger Icelanders do.
• Smoked mackerel or gravlax alongside, which is not traditional but is eaten anyway.
• Aquavit or a cold lager in place of brennivín.

Variations

• Restaurants serve it as a fixed platter through the month of Þorri, from late January.
• A family version leans on hangikjöt, slátur and flatkökur and quietly omits the rest.

History

Revived in 1958 by a Reykjavík restaurant that served old preserved farm foods in a trough, reviving the midwinter Þorrablót feast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Þorramatur?

Þorramatur is a fermented & pickled from Iceland: midwinter platter of soured ram testicles, blood pudding, shark and dried fish. Revived in 1958 by a Reykjavík restaurant that served old preserved farm foods in a trough, reviving the midwinter Þorrablót feast.

How long does Þorramatur take to make?

Þorramatur takes 45 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes a platter for 6 to 8. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Þorramatur?

Yes, within limits. Skip the hákarl and the soured pieces for a milder platter, which many younger Icelanders do. Smoked mackerel or gravlax alongside, which is not traditional but is eaten anyway. Aquavit or a cold lager in place of brennivín.

What is the most important thing to get right in Þorramatur?

Take the hákarl out of its container only when you are ready to serve, and cut it into cubes the size of a fingernail. The ammonia smell fills a room within minutes, which is why it is traditionally opened outdoors.