Date
07. Apr 202607. Apr 26
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12 min
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“Icelanders learned to thrive on what the land and sea could offer throughout the seasons”
Hákarl hangs on racks in a drying shed.
Icelandic comfort food: kjötsúpa, or lamb soup.
Book your flight to Iceland today. Take your tastebuds on a tour beyond the ordinary!
Few experiences connect you to a country quite like diving into its cuisine. Iceland’s food tells a story of a place and people that learned to thrive on what the land and sea could offer throughout the seasons, with plenty of unique things to try.
While centuries-old preservation techniques still echo through traditional dishes, Iceland is also home to restaurants that blend heritage flavors with modern flair.
It’s true that Iceland’s not often viewed as a ‘foodie’ destination, despite its interesting culinary history and often-delicious dishes. That’s why we’re shining the spotlight on Iceland’s lesser-known landscape of food. If you’re curious about what to eat in Iceland or eager to understand traditional Icelandic food, this guide introduces the flavors, customs, and drinks that shape Iceland’s food culture.
To understand typical Icelandic food, it’s helpful to know more about Iceland itself.
As a small island isolated in the North Atlantic, the country’s cuisine is based on local ingredients, with Icelanders historically eating whatever they could grow or farm from the volcanic soil or catch in the cold surrounding seas.
It’s no surprise that seafood became a lifeline for locals. Lamb was also another staple, raised free-range and grazed across open highlands. Dairy products, including the now-famous skyr, also became a key part of the Icelandic diet. These simple ingredients remain central to what people eat in Iceland today.
Due to the dramatic changes in seasons and unpredictable weather, Icelanders also developed a tradition of preserving fresh foods. Fish was dried in coastal winds, meats were smoked or fermented, and rye bread was even baked underground thanks to the country’s natural geothermal heat. Nowadays, even with modern technology, these techniques remain part of Iceland’s living culinary heritage and can be found on menus across the country.
At the same time, modern hubs like Reykjavík and bigger towns have embraced innovation. Chefs celebrate local ingredients while introducing global influences, ensuring that Iceland’s food culture embraces its history and looks towards the future.
And of course, universal food classics like burgers, pizza, and pasta are very much available across Iceland. It’s also handy to know that even though lamb and fish feature predominantly on Icelandic menus, there are usually plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans too.
Now you know the context around Iceland’s most renowned foods, here are some things to look out for during your visit that will give you a taste of what Icelanders have enjoyed for centuries.
Choosing one dish to represent Icelandic cuisine is a tricky task. While some media would have you believe hákarl, or fermented shark, is the national dish, this is not the case! Hákarl is eaten in small portions (in bite-size morsels, not as a meal), and is most commonly eaten during Þorrablót, the midwinter festival.
Other oddball meats like svið (sheep’s head) have become (in)famous – but again, these are not typical dishes. Instead, these should been seen more as an example of historic preservation techniques rather than daily diet staples.
Dishes like lamb, served roasted or smoked, in a soup or as a main dish, or plokkfiskur, a comforting and creamy fish stew, are much more popular and representative of the national appetite, and are eaten often.
Another of the most popular foods in Iceland is the pylsa (plural: pylsur), a hot dog made from lamb, beef, and pork. It’s typically served with crispy deep-fried onions, raw onions, ketchup, a sweet Icelandic mustard called pylsusinnep, and a mayonnaise-based remoulade sauce – those five toppings constitute eina með öllu, or ‘one with everything’. This quick and convenient snack is loved by Icelanders and visitors alike, whether you’re exploring Reykjavík, hungry after a pool visit, or on a road trip (every gas station sells them).
Thanks to the climate, soups play a key role in Icelandic diets. Kjötsúpa is an Icelandic meat soup and is a cozy and cherished dish, especially in the cooler fall and winter months. Historically it was enjoyed by farmers and fishermen as a nutritious meal during harsh seasons. It’s usually made with hardy root vegetables like onions, potatoes and carrots, a mix of local herbs, and of course, lamb meat.
Fish soups (aka fiskisúpa) are equally enticing – see the above idea, but substitute the lamb with cod or other fish. Taking things up a notch, lobster soup or humarsúpa (in fact made with langoustine) is invariably delicious.
Another wintry staple, plokkfiskur is a stew made from mashed white fish, potatoes, onions, and a milk-based béchamel sauce, served with rye bread. Modern variations often include cheese or curry powder, adding an extra flavor.
These classic Icelandic dishes are enjoyed in many home kitchens, but visitors can find them in cafes and restaurants across the country, and in supermarkets ready to heat and eat.
Alongside main dishes, there are a few iconic Icelandic snacks and sides that are worth a try.
Harðfiskur is simply dried fish (aka fish jerky), a traditional Icelandic snack that’s still popular today. Once a key source of protein when fresh food wasn’t available, it’s made from flattened fish hung on wooden racks by the sea, so it’s air-dried in the cold, coastal winds. Nowadays, most harðfiskur is made from haddock or cod using modern drying methods, and is best enjoyed smeared with butter as a savory snack. It’s a popular snack for hikers, thanks to its protein boost and long-lasting qualities.
Rúgbrauð, or rye bread, is another Icelandic classic, eaten alongside fish, meat, or soup. You might also come across hverabrauð, which translates to ‘hot spring bread’. This is rye bread that’s baked underground using the country’s geothermal heat, giving it a sweeter flavor. You can find out more about this process at places like Fontana Geothermal Baths where you’ll see the bread getting buried and have a chance to taste it fresh from the ground.
And, of course, no list of Icelandic food would be complete without skyr. While technically a cheese, skyr is a thick, creamy dairy product that’s more like a yogurt. It’s made from skimmed milk and live cultures and dates back to the Viking times in Iceland. It can be served plain or flavored and many people enjoy it with berries, honey, or nuts as part of breakfast or a light snack throughout the day.
As an island country, it’s no surprise that fish and seafood are a popular and traditional part of any Icelandic diet.
This is a nation built on fishing. The North Atlantic Ocean has long provided an abundance of species that have sustained generations for centuries. Today, fishing is a fundamental part of Icelandic culture and identity – there’s even an annual day dedicated to fishermen – as well as the economy, with Iceland acting as a major exporter of fish to other European countries.
Icelandic fish is considered world-class thanks to the cold, nutrient-rich waters which enhance the flavors and their sustainable fishing practices. If you’re wondering what the best fish to eat when you visit Iceland is, look out for species like cod, haddock, arctic char, and langoustine (which is sometimes called Icelandic lobster).
Alongside fishing, sheep-rearing is another key part of Icelandic culture, with free-roaming sheep providing wool and meat that have kept locals warm and well-fed during severe weather.
In spring and summer, the sheep graze in the wilderness with plenty of open space and freedom, which translates into the meat’s superior flavor. In September, réttir takes place, an event when all the sheep are rounded up for the winter, usually accompanied by celebrations and parties to mark the changing of the seasons.
If you’re wanting to try Icelandic lamb, popular dishes include soup, roast lamb, smoked lamb (hangjiköt) served sliced on flatbread, and lamb hot dogs.
Alongside the savory flavors mentioned above, Icelanders are known to have a sweet tooth, and there’s a variety of baked goods, treats, and desserts to sample when you visit.
Searching for a souvenir to take back home? Iceland has plenty of unique chocolates and candies that make great mementos and gifts.
Some famous options include Nóa Kropp – pieces of puffed corn covered in milk chocolate – and Hraun (translation: ‘lava’), which are vanilla wafers covered with rice puffs and chocolate, giving them a rocky, lava-like appearance.
As in other Nordic countries, licorice is a favorite flavor here. Candies like Draumur and Þristur combine licorice with sweet, rich chocolate. Þristur is a chocolate bar comprising chocolate, caramel, and licorice – even if you’re not a licorice lover, this classic combination could be enough to sway you.
You’ll find a range of treats in Iceland’s bakeries, from the familiar to the unique.
Kleinur are a popular snack made of fried dough in a twisted shape. They’re crispy on the outside and soft and sweet in the middle, the perfect combination! Ástarpungar, or ‘love balls’, are made from a similar dough but are filled with raisins before they’re fried in a round shape.
Then there’s snúður, Iceland’s answer to the cinnamon roll, which are traditionally covered with either a pink, chocolate, or caramel glaze, but nowadays are available with more subtle flavors like cinnamon and vanilla (without the glaze).
Old-school favorites include vöfflur (waffles) with jam and cream, and pönnukökur (pancakes) – the latter are thin crepes served with sugar, or with rhubarb jam and cream. If you come across hjónabandssæla, be sure to give it a try. This delightfully named treat (the name translates to ‘happy marriage cake’) can resemble a cake, pie, or tray bake, similar to a dense oatmeal bar or crumble, traditionally made with a buttery oat crust and a sweet, tart rhubarb jam filling.
You might be surprised to hear ice cream (in Icelandic, ís) is a big thing in such a cold country, but Iceland’s residents adore this sweet treat, no matter the weather. You can find ice cream stores across Iceland so you see what the hype is about no matter where you’re staying. You can always find classic flavors, but you might like to be bold and try a more local option (licorice, for example, or ice cream made with skyr).
If you’ve got a real sugar craving, opt for the bragðarefur, a type of soft-serve similar to a McFlurry that’s enjoyed with a range of candy toppings. From chocolates to gummies, you can mix and match and create your own combination.
Looking for something to wash down your Icelandic feast? Luckily, there’s plenty of traditional Icelandic drinks to try. But also, rest assured that Icelandic tap water is some of the purest in the world. It’s been in the making for thousands of years in our glaciers and filtered by endless lava fields. There’s no need to buy bottled water in Iceland. Bring a reusable water bottle and fill up anywhere you can.
For those visiting during Christmas, malt og appelsín is a quintessentially Icelandic holiday drink. It’s a mixture of two soft drinks – appelsín, an orange soda and malt, a sweet, malty soda – and is enjoyed throughout the festive season.
For the grown-ups, there’s plenty of other beverages to choose from, with a wealth of gin, vodka, and whisky distilling in parts of the country. Brennivín is the signature alcoholic drink. This clear, unsweetened schnapps is distilled from fermented grain or potato and has quite a savory flavor, thanks to the caraway seeds that are added during the production process. It’s also got an ABV of 37.5-40%, so it’s typically served as a chilled shot and is often drunk at celebrations like Þorrablót.
Icelanders also have a love of craft beer, and you’ll find breweries across the nation – you can take a tour of some sites. If you’re visiting at the beginning of March, your trip might line up with Beer Day, which celebrates the end of a 74-year ban on beer in Iceland.
Iceland’s drinking culture is quite different from the rest of Europe when it comes to alcohol. The drinking age in Iceland is 20 years old, more similar to the United States, and liquor can only be purchased in state-owned Vínbúðin stores. Here you can find wine, spirits, and beer, but with high taxes and import costs, you can expect high prices.
You can also sometimes find beer in grocery stores, but the alcohol content must be 2.25% or less. You can buy alcohol in restaurants, but it must be consumed on site.
Read more about how and where to buy alcohol in Iceland – and our money-saving tips for when you do!
Worked up an appetite? If you’re ready to get a taste of the delectable dishes this country has to offer, book your flights to Reykjavík today and start planning your trip.
Be sure to check out our walking tours with a food focus, such as the Reykjavík food lover’s tour or sweet tooth tour. And if you’re flying with us, our in-flight menu features some products designed to give you a taste of Iceland on board.
