Exquisite Travel Adventures Worldwide LTD

🌍 A culinary journey to Iceland, land of fire, ice, and buried shark.

The Greenlandic shark — Somniosus microcephalus — is one of the longest-lived vertebrates on earth, capable of surviving for 400 years or more. It is also, when fresh, lethally toxic to humans, its flesh saturated with urea and trimethylamine oxide in concentrations that would cause severe illness. This presented the Vikings with a problem, and the Vikings solved it the way they solved most problems: with patience and a hole in the ground.

Hákarl is fermented Greenlandic shark. The shark is gutted, beheaded, buried in gravel for two to three months to press out the toxic fluids, then exhumed and hung to dry for another four to five months. The result is a product with a powerful ammonia aroma — described variously as “very strong cheese,” “cleaning products,” and “a decision you must live with” — and a flavor that Icelanders consider a national treasure.

Anthony Bourdain called it the single most disgusting thing he had ever eaten. Iceland considers this a reasonable difference of opinion.

The Ingredient

• 1 Greenlandic shark (several hundred kilograms; you will need help)

The Method

1. Catch or obtain one Greenlandic shark. This is the hardest part.
2. Gut and behead it. Press the carcass into a gravel pit or wooden box with drainage holes. Cover. Leave for 6–12 weeks. Do not open it.
3. Remove from the ground. The flesh will have turned yellow-brown and expelled most of its toxins. Cut into strips. Hang in a drying shed for 4–5 months until a brown crust forms on the outside.
4. Remove the crust. Inside is the hákarl — pale, soft, and aggressively aromatic.
5. Cut into small cubes. Serve on toothpicks. Accompany with Brennivín — Icelandic schnapps — which helps, though not as much as you might hope.
6. Do not smell it before eating it. Simply eat it. Smelling it first is how people lose their nerve.

Tasting Notes

Hákarl tastes of ammonia, the deep sea, and the accumulated determination of a thousand years of Icelandic winters. The flavor is sharp, intensely fishy, and lingers with considerable commitment. First-timers are advised to breathe through their mouth. Veterans say you stop noticing the smell after the first few pieces. We believe them, and we find that information both reassuring and troubling.

“I ate it. I survived. Iceland felt I had earned something. I agreed.”

— A traveler, post-hákarl, still standing

⏱️ Active Prep Time: 1 hour
Passive Prep Time: 5–9 months
Ingredients: 1 (plus one very large hole)
Recommended accompaniment: Brennivín and resolve