Emma in Iceland
While in Iceland I had many research-related adventures. I consulted a soothsayer, learned about the Hidden Folk, and interviewed with a chef while he butchered a seal (accidental by-catch given to him by some fishermen, so he filleted it for steak, boiled the bones for soup and sent the pelt to a tannery so none of the animal was wasted).
But the biggest highlight was attending Thorrablót.
So imagine you brace the icy wind to arrive at the community hall. It’s packed full, with probably half of the village’s 500 inhabitants present. On arriving, after finding places to hang your coats and outer layers, you are offered an aperitif of fermented shark and Brennivan.
Brennivan, also known as Black Death, is a spirit similar to vodka or aquavit, made from potato and caraway seeds and is traditionally used to wash down the shark – chewy cubes that almost look like tofu and to begin with, are vaguely like very stinky ripe cheese, but then an aftertaste develops, something like ammonia… and this is where the Brennivin becomes important!
Inside, the buffet is piled high with delicious/disgusting delicacies. Sheep smoked in its own dung, soured sheep, lamb jelly (made from singed sheep’s cheek), whole sheep head (including the eye, which is surprisingly delicious), blood sausage, harðfiskur (dried fish, best consumed smeared with butter), pickled cabbage, mushy peas, mashed potato and rye bread. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you might also try the whale blubber and the ram’s testicles fermented in whey (which I abstained from because it smelled like a lot like a dirty dishrag).
There’s more about the food and tradition of Thorrablót here.
Rob and I decided on Thorrablót for the play’s title because as well as providing a setting, much of which takes place on a mid-winter night, the feast connects tradition and modernity. These days most Icelanders are more likely to eat hotdogs or pizza than the traditional foods. Many of the younger people I met had an intense dislike for some of the sour, fermented dishes served as part of the feast – the foods necessary for survival for the long winters of the past before modern conveniences. With the coming of spring people could feast on their surplus winter rations. So in a way, Thorrablót is a reminder of this past, and an appreciation of the options available today. As well as this, it’s an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the passing of mid-winter. After the feast, we enjoyed entertainment including sing-a-longs, satirical speeches, a play made up of sketches that ‘roast’ well-known members of the community, live music and lots of dancing. While today’s Thorrablót celebrations have no doubt changed since the ancient sacrificial rites to the winter gods, the Vikings know how to have a party.
Next time on the Thorrablog, we’ll be hearing from Rob.
Over and out!
Emma
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