Although Iceland's food is unlikely to be the highlight of your trip, things have improved from the early 1980s when beer was illegal and canned soup supplemented dreary daily doses of plain-cooked lamb or fish. The country's low industrial output and high environmental conciousness - the use of hormones in livestock feed is forbidden, for instance - means that its meat, fish and seafood are some of the healthiest in Europe, with hothouses now providing a fair range of vegetables and even some fruit.
While in Reykjavík and Akureyri the variety of food is pretty well what you'd find at home, menus elsewhere are far less exciting - with sheep outnumbering the people by four to one, there's a lot of
lamb
to get through. You'll often find some variety to the standbys grills or stews, however, even if
salads
have yet to really catch on; otherwise fast food or cooking for yourself will have to see you through.
Traditional foods
Iceland's cold climate and long winters meant that the settlers' original diet was low in vegetables and high in cereals, fish and meat, with
preserved foods
playing a big role. Some of the following traditional foods are still eaten on a...
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Drinks
It's been said with some justification that Iceland runs on
coffee
, with just about everyone in the country firmly hooked, a definite café culture in the cities, and decent quality brews offered even at fuel-station cafés. In some rural...
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Restaurants, cafés and bars
Just about every settlement in Iceland, from villages upwards, has a
restaurant
of some sort. In Reykjavík, and to a lesser extent Akureyri and some of the larger towns, there's a variety of formal establishments offering everything from...
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Self-catering
Self-caterers will save a lot over eating out, though ingredients still cost more than they do at home. There are few specialist food shops besides
fishmongers
and
bakeries
, but at least one
supermarket
- often run by...
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