Greenlandic cuisine

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Upernavik, Greenland
Cheek of Greenland halibut on a toasted bagel

Greenlandic cuisine is traditionally based on meat from

marine mammals, birds, and fish, and normally contains high levels of protein. Since colonization and the arrival of international trade, the cuisine has been increasingly influenced by Danish, British, American and Canadian cuisine.[1] During the summer when the weather is milder, meals are often eaten outdoors.[2]

National dish

The national dish of Greenland is suaasat, a traditional Greenlandic soup.[3] It is often made from seal, or from whale, reindeer, or seabirds. The soup often includes onions and potatoes, and is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, or bay leaf. The soup is often thickened with rice, or by soaking barley in the water overnight so that the starches leach into the water. It is also a traditional Inuit food.[4]

Seafood

ammassat

Because the majority of Greenland is covered by permanent glaciers, the sea is the source for most food.

shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), but these two are eaten only as a last resort.[6] Arctic char is fished off the east coast. The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is rarely eaten because it is poisonous but can be edible after a complicated preparation[7]
of either boiling the meat repeatedly or fermenting the meat.

Global warming has shifted the migration of Atlantic cod, allowing for commercial fishing off Greenland's east coast. Drift ice can create problems during fishing season.[8] There are a couple of large-scale fish and shrimp processing factories in Greenland.[9]

Sea mammals provide important staples to Greenlandic diets. A traditional

whale blubber is a popular lunch and snack food.[2] Bearded and ringed seals are hunted year round, especially by Polar Inuit, while narwhals and white whales are hunted during the summer.[10] Subsistence whale hunting by indigenous peoples is legal, but some animal rights organizations are concerned about commercial whale hunting in Greenland, with one company, Arctic Green Food freezing and distributing a quarter of Greenland's whale meat.[11]

Meat

Land-based dishes include

tartare.[12] Sheep farming and cattle ranching were introduced to Greenland by the Norse.[5] Reindeer are hunted in the fall, foxes and hares year round, musk-oxen in the spring, and polar bear are hunted in the spring and fall.[10] Meats can be boiled, dried, frozen, fermented, or occasionally eaten raw. Reindeer livers are consumed raw, immediately after the hunt.[10]

Birds

There are 21 species of birds that legally can be hunted in Greenland, although there are various restrictions (region, period, numbers or method) for several of them.

sea gulls.[10] Additionally, kittiwake and ptarmigan are hunted on the east coast.[7] Sometimes wild eggs are gathered by hunters.[6]

Plants

Crowberries (Empetrum nigrum
)

Blueberries and

global climate change has slightly extended the growing season, so Greenlandic farmers are experimenting with new crops, such as broccoli.[12]
Rice and potatoes are common starches in meals. Onions are commonly found in meals.

Beverages

Greenland Brewhouse brown ale

Greenlandic coffee is a popular after-dinner drink. It typically features hot coffee, whiskey, Kahlúa, Grand Marnier, and whipped cream. Served in a bordeaux glass, the coffee is set on fire before drinking.[14]

Ice beer, that features 2000-year-old natural Arctic ice harvested from glaciers, was pioneered by the Greenland Brewhouse in Narsaq.[15] Currently, the Godthaab Bryghus, in Nuuk,[16] and Icefiord Bryghus, in Ilulissat,[17] brew with glacial water. Both crowberries and angelica are brewed into ales at the Icefiord Brewery.[12]

Until 1954, alcohol sales were heavily restricted in Greenland, so homebrewing is widely popular.[18]

Markets

West Greenland

Animal foods comprised most of the Greenland Inuit diet until around 1980 (and still do today in some regions), but grocery stores now provide coffee, tea, biscuits, potato chips, and other foods.[10] Depending on location, the diversity of fresh fruit and vegetables varies greatly during the year. In the capital Nuuk, the diversity is considerably higher and more consistent year-round than in smaller, more isolated places further north. In more isolated regions, supplies depend on ice cover and can typically be delivered by ship during the summer (approximately May through November, but varies depending on exact location) where the diversity is mostly better than in the winter period, where vegetables and fruit only can be delivered by plane.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Greenlandic cuisine." Archived 2010-04-14 at the Wayback Machine Official Greenland Tourism Guide. (retrieved 30 Oct 2010)
  2. ^ a b c d "Traditional Greenlandic food." Archived 2010-11-22 at the Wayback Machine Official Greenland Tourism Guide. (retrieved 30 Oct 2010)
  3. ^ "Recipes of Greenlandic Cuisine." Colonial Voyage. (retrieved 31 Oct 2010)
  4. ^ liza (2023-05-21). "Out-of-this-World Experiences with Street Food & Famous Dishes in Greenland". Desher Barta. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  5. ^ a b Kleivan, "Greenland Eskimo," 522
  6. ^ a b c Kleivan, "West Greenland," 608
  7. ^ a b c Petersen 631
  8. ^ a b Kleivan, "Greenland Eskimo," 523
  9. ^ Nutaarsiassaqartitsivik (14 November 2017). "Nuummi aalisakkerivik nutaaq". Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Gilberg 582
  11. ^ Black, Richard. "Greenland whale hunt 'commercial'." BBC News. 17 June 2008 (retrieved 31 Oct 2010)
  12. ^ a b c d "Extreme Eating in Greenland." creators.com (retrieved 10 Mar 2015)
  13. ^ "Fugle". Erhvervsportalen, Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  14. ^ [dead link]"Greenlandic Coffee." Archived 2010-11-22 at the Wayback Machine Official Greenland Tourism Guide. (retrieved 30 Oct 2010)
  15. ^ "Greenland ice cap beer launched ." BBC News. 1 Aug 2006 (retrieved 31 Oct 2010)
  16. ^ "Godthaab Bryghus." Archived 2012-03-08 at archive.today Tigm. (retrieved 30 Oct 2010)
  17. ^ "Icefiord Bryggeri: Øltper." Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Hotel Icefiord. (retrieved 30 Oct 2010)
  18. ^ Kleivan, "West Greenland," 609

Sources

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