sigvaldi wrote on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:07:53 -0800 (PST):

> On Feb 9, 9:50 pm, "James Silverton"
> > wrote:
>> Silvar wrote on Tue, 9 Feb 2010 13:43:24 -0800 (PST):
>>
> >> On Feb 9, 3:46 > wrote:
> >>> On Feb 8, 5:46 pm, Silvar Beitel
> >>> > wrote:
>>
> > >>> On Feb 8, 10:06 am, Food Snob® > wrote:
>>
> > > >>> I'm not sure that I could tolerate the food in
> > > >>> England. My wife and son are going toIcelandin August.
> > > >>> (I have airplane phobias, so I'm not going). I wonder
> > > >>> what they'll find to eat there.
>>
> > >>> Hákarl and Brennivín. You need lots of the latter to
> > >>> enjoy any of the former :-)
>>
> >>> Hákarl (shark) is a speiality dish that is sometimes asked
> >>> for by tourists. Icelanders do not eat it normally.
> >> Oh, I knew that. I, as a tourist there, had my obligatory
> >> taste of it, washed down (before and after!) by plenty of
> >> booze. Sort of like stinky cheese. Not bad, once you get
> >> over the smell of it, but definitely not something one
> >> wants to eat with any regularity.
>>
>> Hakarl seems to be an example of the strange Nordic tendency
>> to ferment (or putrefy) fish in order to preserve it. Another
>> type is Lutefisk as prepared in Minnesota from cod. I did
>> once try Lutefisk but never again!
>>
>Untreated shark is poisonus so the fermenting is a way to actually
>make it edible (or at least non-lethal to eat)

But you can get shark steaks. I've even eaten them myself tho' I don't
now since sharks are apparently becoming scarce. I don't know whether a
sailor would consider that a bad thing :-)

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not