The smell of rotting shark meat is terrible. Farms specializing in its production smell like a dirty public toilet. After cutting and packing, the shark meat becomes more attractive. It is cut into small cubes and packed in bags under vacuum. You can buy local delicacy in many grocery stores. For locals, hakarl has long become an important national symbol. The festive table can’t be complete without it. The shark meat is especially popular in Christmas period.
Locals believe that if on Christmas Eve you will eat a few slices of smelly meat, the whole year you will remain steadfast and strong, like a true Viking. This unusual method of cooking shark meat is not accidental. Eating this meat fresh is very dangerous due to the high content of urea. After proper exposure, the meat becomes safe. Gourmets will like visiting Iceland in January, during Thorrablot annual gastronomic festival. Its guests can enjoy not only hakarl, but other popular dishes of the rugged Vikings.
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