Iceland

In this fun little summer project we're moving from west to east, so we're starting Iceland, which has the advantage of being a country I know quite well, after doing PhD fieldwork here - and the disadvantage of not being very vegetarian friendly cuisine. The main icelandic dishes being largely fish and lamb focused (but delicious lamb and fish no doubt!).

So for the first day we settled on an Icelandic breakfast of skýr with blueberries and some home-made icelandic style steamed rye bread with butter. Skýr (pronounced Skeeer) if you don't know it, is a thick yoghurt like dairy product, high in protein and low in fat, similar to quark. It's been something of a trend the last few years in Denmark and is a staple in our fridge and at the breakfast table. So not too difficult. The remains of the blueberries (sadly wild bilberries are hard to come by here for the authentic North Atlantic feeling) and the skyr, will probably make it into a cheesecake, skyrterta, this evening.

The rye bread was a different challenge - although it's also a staple in our house, I've never made my own, being rather intimidated by the prospect of having to make and keep alive a sourdough culture. Fortunately, Icelandic rye bread is a different beast, using baking powder as a raising agent and being steamed rather than baked. Not having an authentically Icelandic hot spring to hand, I mixed up this recipe I found and put it (inside two empty clean tin cans) into my slow cooker overnight. Definitely exceeded expectations with that one - sweet, soft, crumbly and malty, not dissimilar to soreen's malt loaf, only without the dried fruit.

I will probably make it again. Though I think of it, as I did when I first came across it in Iceland, as more like cake than bread.

Update: the skyr cheesecake is amazing. Definitely try that one, it will likely become a permanent part of the family repertoire and although requiring a little planning ahead (it definitely sets better after a few hours in the fridge), it's super easy to make.

On to Portugal tomorrow.