Local Dishes

1. hákarl

   hákarl (fermented shark)

   Usage

   A traditional dish of shark meat that is fermented and then hung to dry for months. It has a strong ammonia smell and taste and is served in small cubes, usually with the spirit brennivín

   Grammar Note

   A masculine noun; in "kæstur hákarl" the adjective "kæstur" means fermented or cured

2. harðfiskur

   harðfiskur (dried fish)

   Usage

   Wind-dried fish, mostly cod-type fish, eaten as a snack with butter. The name is not "hard fish" but dried fish

   Grammar Note

   A masculine compound: "harð" (hard) + "fiskur" (fish)

3. skyr

   skyr (thick strained dairy product)

   Usage

   A thick, strained dairy product similar to yoghurt, eaten for breakfast, as a snack or as dessert, usually cold and sometimes with fruit or sugar

   Grammar Note

   A neuter noun, used like a mass noun

4. flatkaka

   flatkaka (flat rye bread)

   Usage

   A flat, soft rye bread cooked on a hot plate, eaten with butter or smoked lamb (hangikjöt)

   Grammar Note

   A feminine compound: "flat" (flat) + "kaka" (cake, flat bread)

5. kleina

   kleina (twisted fried dough)

   Usage

   A traditional Icelandic fried pastry made from twisted dough, often served with coffee

   Grammar Note

   A feminine noun

6. pönnukaka

   pönnukaka (thin pancake)

   Usage

   A thin, crepe-like pancake, rolled or folded with sugar, jam or whipped cream

   Grammar Note

   A feminine compound: "pönnu" (of the frying pan) + "kaka" (cake)

7. rúgbrauð

   rúgbrauð (rye bread)

   Usage

   A dark, dense and slightly sweet rye bread, eaten with butter or smoked fish

   Grammar Note

   A neuter compound: "rúg" (rye) + "brauð" (bread)

8. hverabrauð

   hverabrauð (geothermally baked bread)

   Usage

   A rye bread baked in the warm ground by geothermal heat, slightly sweet and eaten with butter

   Grammar Note

   A neuter compound: "hvera" (of hot springs, genitive plural) + "brauð" (bread)

9. kjötsúpa

   kjötsúpa (lamb soup)

   Usage

   A warm soup of lamb with swede, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables, a standard home dish on cold days

   Grammar Note

   A feminine compound: "kjöt" (meat) + "súpa" (soup)

10. saltfiskur

    saltfiskur (salted cod)

    Usage

    Salted cod, soaked to remove the salt and then boiled or baked

    Grammar Note

    A masculine compound: "salt" (salt) + "fiskur" (fish)

11. bleikja

    bleikja (Arctic char)

    Usage

    A freshwater fish of the salmon family, caught in lakes and rivers and also farmed; it is baked or smoked

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun

12. slátur

    slátur (offal and blood puddings)

    Usage

    The general name for traditional foods made from sheep's blood and offal, meaning blood pudding (blóðmör) and liver sausage (lifrarpylsa), often made at home in autumn

    Grammar Note

    A neuter noun used as a singular collective

13. blóðmör

    blóðmör (blood pudding)

    Usage

    A kind of slátur made of sheep's blood, suet and rye flour, boiled and served warm or cold

    Grammar Note

    A masculine compound: "blóð" (blood) + "mör" (suet)

14. lifrarpylsa

    lifrarpylsa (liver sausage)

    Usage

    A kind of slátur made of sheep's liver, suet and rye flour, eaten like blood pudding

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "lifrar" (of the liver) + "pylsa" (sausage)

15. laufabrauð

    laufabrauð (leaf bread)

    Usage

    A traditional Christmas food of thin round dough cut with leaf-like patterns and fried, especially made in the north

    Grammar Note

    A neuter compound: "lauf" (leaf) + "brauð" (bread)

16. pylsa

    pylsa (sausage, hot dog)

    Usage

    A sausage, especially the hot dog in a bun, a staple of Icelandic street food, made with lamb mixed into the meat

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun

17. Eina með öllu, takk

    One with everything, please

    Usage

    The standard way to order at a hot dog stand; "with everything" usually means raw and fried onions, ketchup, sweet mustard and remoulade

    Grammar Note

    "Eina" is the feminine accusative of "einn", referring to an omitted "pylsu"; "takk" at the end works as "please"

18. snúður

    snúður (cinnamon-roll style pastry)

    Usage

    A spiral-shaped sweet bun like a cinnamon roll, often glazed with chocolate or sugar icing

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun

19. grjónagrautur

    grjónagrautur (rice pudding)

    Usage

    A warm porridge of rice cooked in milk, eaten with cinnamon and sugar

    Grammar Note

    A masculine compound: "grjóna" (of grains, genitive plural) + "grautur" (porridge)

20. þorramatur

    þorramatur (traditional midwinter food)

    Usage

    The general name for the traditional foods eaten at a þorrablót in the month of Þorri, including smoked and salted meats and pickled or fermented foods, some of them very strong in taste

    Grammar Note

    A masculine compound: "þorra" (of the month Þorri) + "matur" (food)

21. svið

    svið (singed sheep's head)

    Usage

    A traditional dish of a sheep's head with the wool singed off and then boiled; used as a neuter plural noun, and not the same word as "svið" meaning stage

    Grammar Note

    A neuter noun; the same spelling also means stage or field, which is a different word

22. sviðasulta

    sviðasulta (head cheese)

    Usage

    A cold dish of svið meat set in jelly, one of the þorramatur foods

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "sviða" (of svið) + "sulta" (jellied meat)

23. hangikjöt

    hangikjöt (smoked lamb)

    Usage

    Smoked lamb, a classic for Christmas and other festive tables, served in thin slices either cold or hot

    Grammar Note

    A neuter compound: "hangi" (hung) + "kjöt" (meat)

24. plokkfiskur

    plokkfiskur (fish and potato stew)

    Usage

    A home-style dish of boiled white fish, potatoes and onions in white sauce, eaten with rye bread

    Grammar Note

    A masculine compound: "plokk" (from plokka, to pick) + "fiskur" (fish)

25. humarsúpa

    humarsúpa (langoustine soup)

    Usage

    A creamy soup of langoustine, the small lobster-like shellfish called humar in Iceland, a popular seafood dish; humar is not the American lobster

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "humar" (langoustine) + "súpa" (soup)

26. rófustappa

    rófustappa (mashed swede)

    Usage

    A side dish of mashed swede (rófa), served with þorramatur and smoked lamb

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "rófu" (of swede) + "stappa" (a mash)

27. kjötbolla

    kjötbolla (meatball)

    Usage

    A home-style dish of minced meat rolled into balls and fried or simmered, eaten with sauce and potatoes

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "kjöt" (meat) + "bolla" (ball)

28. fiskibolla

    fiskibolla (fish ball)

    Usage

    Ground fish shaped into balls, eaten with a sauce

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "fiski" (of fish) + "bolla" (ball)

29. brauðsúpa

    brauðsúpa (sweet bread soup)

    Usage

    A sweet soup made by simmering rye bread, an old-fashioned dessert eaten with cream

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "brauð" (bread) + "súpa" (soup)

30. lambalæri

    lambalæri (roast leg of lamb)

    Usage

    The leg of lamb, a roast for Sundays and holidays

    Grammar Note

    A neuter compound: "lamba" (of lamb) + "læri" (thigh)

31. skata

    skata (skate)

    Usage

    Fermented skate traditionally eaten on 23 December (Þorláksmessa), with a strong ammonia smell

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun

32. vínarterta

    vínarterta (layered cake)

    Usage

    A layered cake of thin sheets with prune jam between them, eaten at Christmas and on other festive days; the name means Vienna cake

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: "Vínar" (of Vienna) + "terta" (cake)

33. ýsa

    ýsa (haddock)

    Usage

    A white fish often eaten at home, classically boiled and served with potatoes and butter

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun

34. lambakjöt

    lambakjöt (lamb meat)

    Usage

    Lamb meat, widely eaten in Iceland; in summer the lambs graze freely on highland pastures

    Grammar Note

    A neuter compound: "lamba" (of lamb) + "kjöt" (meat)

35. Hvað er í þessum rétti?

    What is in this dish?

    Usage

    Asks what an unfamiliar traditional dish contains, which also helps with allergies

    Grammar Note

    "Í" takes the dative here: "þessum rétti" is masculine dative ("réttur" = dish)

Browse all TravelPhrases languages