One of the great joys of visiting a new place is getting to taste its food, and that’s exactly what you will experience with our Greenland tour packages. The cuisine of Greenland primarily focusses on the meat of marine mammals, fish, and birds. Usually packed with high levels of protein, Greenland’s cuisine is quite influenced by Canadian, American, British, and Danish food. Since the country is majorly covered by glaciers, the most common food source is the sea.
Although green vegetables aren’t commonly seen in Greenland, the scenario has shifted a bit due to climate change, thereby extending the growing season. This has allowed the farmers of the country to grow crops such as broccoli. Potatoes and rice provide most of the starchy content in Greenland’s meals, with onion being a common ingredient in majority of the dishes.
Suaasat is known as Greenland’s national dish. The primary ingredient of this traditional Greenlandic soup is seal, which is a vital part of Inuit cuisine. In addition to seal meat, the thick broth of the soup is created using onions, barley, black pepper, salt, and bay leaves. Rice is often used in place of barley, and some replace seal meat with sea birds, caribou, reindeer, or whale. The soup is a common dish to serve during Christmas, but it’s also consumed throughout the year.
Mattak, which is basically sliced whale, is a staple food for the locals of Greenland who live in harsh weather conditions. This dish is made from the skin and underlying fat layer of a whale and is often served during special occasions and festivals in the form of small cubes. The locals prefer to consume it raw, roasted, or boiled. The dish has been given the name of ‘Greenlandic chewing gum’ due to its chewy texture. Make sure to chew it properly before swallowing it.
Musk ox is the largest land mammal in Greenland, and the fur of the animal is of such high quality that it’s used in making clothes and blankets. The species is also a delicacy of the country, and its lean meat is utilised in numerous dishes, enhancing their taste with its tenderness and juiciness. It’s served in several restaurants across Greenland as steaks, soups, and tartare. Chefs also like to cook musk ox in a medium rare form to amplify its flavour.
Wild berries grow in abundance in Greenland. This includes alpine bearberries, crowberries, blueberries, blackberries, and juniper berries. These wild berries are a vital part of Inuit cuisine and are either eaten raw, cooked, or as a post-meal dessert. The red alpine bearberries are often served with fish.
Lumpfish roe, which is a go-to alternative for caviar, is a common appetiser in several restaurants across Greenland. Lumpfish is one of the most popular fish in Greenland, with the dish often being referred to as ‘the caviar of the north’. Roe refers to the fully ripe internal egg of a fish, and as you bite into it, you get to taste its salty and mild texture.
Cod is a fish that majorly dominates the fishing industry in Greenland and is a vital part of the Inuit diet. Due to the cold waters of the Arctic, the fish gets to grow slowly and become more flavourful. The fish has a mild taste and while it can be cooked in multiple ways, having it dry is one of the most common ways to eat it. In fact, dried cod has been a beloved snack since the time of the Vikings. The fish is often paired with butter.
The ptarmigan is a small bird that is native to the Arctic and is particularly visible in the country during autumn and winter. The feathers of this bird transform from brown in the summer season to white during the colder months. The gamey meat of a ptarmigan resembles that of a pheasant and is quite a delicacy in Greenland. The breast or thigh of the bird is marinated and then served either boiled or raw, usually along with roasted potatoes.
Seal, which is known as ‘puisi’ in Greenland, has been a primary part of the Inuit diet for centuries. The meat of a seal is high in protein, and the fat tends to keep the human body warm during the harsh winters. You can consume seal dried, boiled, stir-fried, deep-fried, marinated, or grilled in the form of a steak.
Greenlandic lamb, which is known as ‘sava’, is one of the best quality lambs in the world because of the country’s unspoiled and clean rearing conditions. It’s of particularly good quality in the southern region of Greenland because that’s where green grass grows beyond the Arctic Circle. You can try lamb sausage, lamb cutlet, or lamb soup mixed with turnips, celery, potatoes, and carrots.