Eating Fermented Fish (Skata) | Þorláksmessa in Iceland
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- čas přidán 10. 12. 2022
- Why eating rotten fish is an Icelandic holiday tradition is beyond me but it is a thing! December 23 is known as Þorláksmessa (Þórláks feast) and every year the locals make and eat Skata - Fermented Skate. It is extremely pungent - as in it burns the eyes and stays permanently on your clothes! In this video I sit down with my friend's family to show you how it's made and brave eating this disgusting delicacy. Enjoy 🥴
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Hot damn! I recognize the people in this video: Sitting at the far end of the table is my cousin Selma, with her mother (the lady in red, my mother's sister) and her husband Denni on the right (my schoolmate and childhood friend from Ísafjörður).
Just goes to show how small the Icelandic population really is . . .
Why weren't you invited?!? We'll have to feast again soon!
@@IcelandwithaView, too far to travel, I live in Ísafjörður - plenty of Skata available here on Þorláksmessa.
There are actaully few species of skate eaten on the 23rd. Most common are Tindaskata (Raja Amblyraja radiata) and just Skata (Raja lintea). The fermentation can be from mild to very strong. When you get the very strong you probably wouldn´t have smelled it up close without getting a runny nose ,watery eyes and coughing up your lungs :) . Also, most tradition in Iceland is to eat the rice pudding (rice and milk) on the 24th, when we celabrate cristmas. (not 25th) and it is custum to have an almond in one of the bowls (which no one knows who´s it is) and the one that gets it, gets a present. But normally a present that everybody can enjoy, like a board game or box of chocolate. And one more thing, it´s more custom to have boiled salted cod, instead of the rice pudding, that is for those who don´t eat skate (most likely the kids, but they allways taste) and for beginners it´s better to mix/mash the skate in with potatos and butter, not hamsatólg, as that has it´s uniqe taste of its own and isn´t for everybody.
Thank you so much for sharing your insight Kristjan!
I tried fermented shark at my cousin’s house when I visited Iceland this summer, and I don’t know how you did this! My cousin LOVES skata, and looks forward to it every year, but I barely handled the shark. It makes me experience it all over again to think about it burning my nostrils! Brave video Jeannie! ❤
Thanks Jennifer! How does your cousin do it?? I'll stick with the rice & milk!
@@IcelandwithaView she said she just boils it ( it smells for miles) with potatoes root vegetables and a special lamb fat with chunks in it: “hamsatólg" in her words haha no thanks!!!
Thank you for sharing how it sort of compares to Hakarl. I have tried it in Iceland in the past, and it's definitely an acquired taste, lol.
My father's parents were from Poland and, in fact, most of the people where I grew up were of Polish descent. When I was a kid, my father would sometimes take me with him when he went to a bar. He used to go to a bar that was owned by another Polish guy named Jeff. There's a Polish dish known as Jellied Pig's Feet (also called Pig's Knuckles). The owner would take them out of a jar and give them to my father in a little cardboard container. I'm 58 years old and I still haven't tried them.
Growing up in Norway I had the rice and milk porridge many times and Lutefisk… once, lol. I think you might have found something worse here, lol. And I had fermented shark several times while in Iceland, and I didn’t mind it. Don’t think I will order it, but definitely not as bad as advertised. Not sure about this, though. Not really calling me to try, even if I am just a tad curious. But, such a beautiful table and home, and thanks for sharing another fun and interesting video.
From now on, I'll always opt for the rice & milk!
@@IcelandwithaView We had the cinnamon, raisins, also butter and sugar on top, or sometimes a strawberry sauce.
Glad you went out of your comfort zone to give this a try!
Great video!
So brave!!
You’re such a good sport. No way would I try that. The rice with milk, cinnamon and raisins looks good though.
The trick is to NOT breathe through your nose while suffering through this ritual.
In case you don't know: Fermented Skate is only MILDLY disgusting compared to Fermented Shark! Even I can eat it with relish once a year, while I have always failed miserably when trying the Shark, even with a LOT of Brennivín (a strong local schnapps).
Agreed! I’ve tried hákarl many times and it’s way worse. I couldn’t believe how mild Skata was comparatively!
You are a good sport. Fearless!
I was in Reykjavik Dec. 16-24 back in 2018 and I was so sad that I didn't know any Icelanders personally! I wanted to try skata and svid, but alas I didn't know anyone who could cook it for us.
I guess you should just come back to Iceland! You'll be able to find it at restaurants on December 23rd!
For me it's not really Christmas in Iceland until your wool-sweater smells like an ammonia factory. I used to hate it as a kid, now I love it, I only eat it once a year though. It's also definitely a social thing. For many it's a chance to see everyone from your childhood when you visit your parents in your childhood home town, you'll see the little snot-nosed kids have turned into teenagers and the teenagers have turned into semi-responsible young adults. The old guard has added a few more gray hairs and wrinkles. It's kind of cute.
😂 Sounds like some great times!
Hi there, I have been following your channel for quite some time now. I'm also planning on visiting Iceland in a few months. I'd like to know if there are any food delivery apps in Iceland?
Search for aha.is in your app store. The app will likely default to Icelandic but there is an English option. Aha has the widest range of choices for food delivery. Fair warning: there is no app for food delivery outside of Reykjavik.
Is this fermented skata anything like lutafisk? Are there sauces used on the skata.
Love tradition videos, this reminds me of Norwegian lefse but stinkier. 🐟
If only you had smell-o-vision!
I have heard how bad hakarl is, but I might have to try it when I visit Iceland in June 2023. I will try anything once!
We went up to the Shark Museum in the Snæfelssnes Peninsula where they process the Greenland Shark into hakarl and it was a really cool place, and the peninsula itself is absolutely stunning and should not be missed. The shark was nowhere as bad as people make it out to be. I even went back for more bites :)
How does it compare to hakarl? I actually didn'y mind that, would have it again. Is skata more intense of a flavour, or similar?
Fermented shark is slightly more intense than Skata but the texture of the Skata thru me off, it pulls off the bone like pulled pork. Neither hakarl nor Skata is on my favorites list!
My boyfriend and I are in Iceland from the 01.01-04.01. it’s a short trip visiting Reykjavik and doing the Golden Circle. It’s his first time, I already visited Iceland in 2018. Does someone has a tip on where to go to have dinner? He would love to try Icelandic food. I am vegetarian. 🙊
Fish Market (www.fiskmarkadurinn.is/) is my favorite restaurant in Reykjavik but it is pricey, even by Icelandic standards. Cafe Loki (loki.is/) serves traditional Icelandic food and their vegetarian plate is packed with delicious food. Check out my video where I did the Reykjavik Food Walk (icelandwithaview.com/reykjavik-food-walk-icelands-highest-rated-food-tour/), maybe you'll want to visit one of the restaurants that was covered in the video!
@@IcelandwithaView thanks a lot!
What's next? Súr hvalur? I admire your courage.
Thank you but you'll just have to wait and see what the next Icelandic delicacy is on my plate - there are so many 😑
Tried Hakarl a few days ago. I think I can stomach very small quantities if I manage to separate the smell from the taste
To be fair, i didn't chew much of it :))
Just got to get it down! Then drown out the aftertaste with a big glass of beer!
One more thing, I implore you to at least try it once every year for a few years before you decide if you never eat it again... it's weirdly addictive once you've acquired the taste.🤣
I'll consider taking your advice but no promises 😉
5:14 Poor kid! 😄
That's like rice pudding. And no, never too much cinnamon.
Skata in Greek means shit, so as a Greek I found this name very accurate!
🤣
So is that hairy rotting fish in a can, surstromming, is that Swedish?
2:54 Looks like chicken.
no thank you
Skata in Greek literally means shit! I wonder who named it that way!
Why do babies sleep outside, to me that’s very weird…Some of the other traditions I understand, people are different , but babies sleeping outside…Weird to me…
She's so tiny compared to them