This month the Eat the World bloggers are headed, by tabletop, to Iceland. Read more about the Eat the World project here.
The Icelandic Line-Up
Laufabraud by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Lummur - Icelandic Oatmeal Pancakes by Sneha's Recipe
Piparkökur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies) by Amy's Cooking Adventures
Pylsur Ein Með Öllu ('One with Everything' Hot Dog) by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Salkjöt og baunir by Pandemonium Noshery
My December Icelandic Adventures
In 2019 I became acquainted with the tradition of Jólabókaflód, I have been making forays into Icelandic cuisine during the month of December. If you are unfamiliar with Jólabókaflód, it's introvert's dream holiday. People gather on Christmas Eve to exchange books and chocolates. Then they retreat to their homes to read the books and eat the chocolates! I hosted my first Jólabókaflód that year; we had a brief hiatus in 2020 and 2021 - damn you, COVID!
But we resumed in 2022 and will be having our fourth annual exchange this weekend. I love that these brainy beauties have been part of my life for almost four decades!
I have served Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Meat Soup), Birch Smoked-Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Gingerbread Trees, Iceland Flag Painted Hearts, and a variety of non-traditional, but inspired recipes. For this event, though, I decided to share Pylsur Ein Með Öllu.
The Icelandic phrase ein með öllu translates to English as 'one with everything.' I made my version of these hot dogs for our December Eat the World event. Now I know that these are not authentic in that Icelandic hot dogs are are mixture of lamb, beef, and pork. But I think it was a pretty good estimation of the dish.
A Little Culinary History
Sausages have been part of Icelandic cuisine for centuries. The bjúga - going back to the time of the Vikings - is a smoked sausage made from lamb or horsemeat. 'Frankfurters', named because they hailed from the German city of Frankfurt, became popular and it was said that the Danes brought the pork hot dog to Iceland in the early 20th century. One problem: Iceland didn't have a tradition of farming pigs! So, to make their own version, they landed on using lamb.
It's All About the Toppings
To create your own one-with-everything...
This is what I offered...
raw white onions
crispy friend onions
whole grain mustad
mayonnaise
ketchup
pickles
capers
parsley
This isn't a recipe per se. But I hope that it inspires you to try your hand at making an Icelandic hot dog!
That's a wrap for our last 2024 #EattheWorld. We will be back next year with more tabletop culinary adventures stay tuned!
Our 2024 Tabletop Travels So Far
Click on my recipe title to go to the original post and see the other bloggers' offerings
January - Spain - Arroz con Langostinos y Carabineros
February - Afghanistan - Afghani Dumplings: Aushak and Mantu
March - Indonesia - Rijsttafel, An Indonesian Feast with a Colonial Twist
April - Denmark - Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesov and Some Danish Memories
May - Oman - Squid Mishkak and Majboos
June - Costa Rica - Ceviche De Tiquicia
July - Palestine - Deconstructed Sayadieh, the Power of Food, and Other Palestinian-Inspired Bites
August - Zimbabwe - Huku Ne Dovi (Zimbabwean Chicken and Groundnut Stew)
September - Kiribati - Ika Mata
October - Belize - Two French Sweets that Landed in Belize: Rum Cakes and Coconut Sugar Cakes
November - Azerbaijan - Üç Bacı (Three Sisters) - Azerbaijani Dolma
What a fun, delicious take on a hot dog and what a great tradition to celebrate each year.