Icelandic food in general is based on fish and lamb, as well as owing much to Scandinavian and European influences. Fishing is Iceland’s most important export, accounting for some 70% of the country’s export earnings. There is also a heavy emphasis on vegetables grown in greenhouses heated by the natural steam from geysers. Bars have table and/or counter service, and will serve coffee as well as alcohol. Alcohol is generally expensive. In coffee shops, pay for the first cup then subsequent cups are free. There is a wide selection of European spirits and wines.
National specialties:• The salmon
of Iceland is a great delicacy, served in many forms, one of the most popular being
gravlax, a form of marinating.
•
Hangikjot (smoked lamb).
•
Harðfiskur (dried fish).
•
Icelandic sild (herring marinated in various flavors).
• A delicacy not for the squeamish is rotten shark, cured by burying and washed down with a shot of
Black Death Schnapps.
National drinks:• Brennivin (a potent variation of aquavit made from potatoes).
Legal drinking age: 20.
Tipping: Service charges are included in most bills and extra tips are not expected.
NightlifeThere are plenty of nightclubs, bars, cafes and cinemas in Iceland, most of them in the capital. Reykjavík is renowned as one of Europe’s hottest nightspots where the friendly pubs and nightlife scene lasts through the night. Icelandic nightlife is particularly vibrant from June to August when there is nearly 24 hours of perpetual daylight (Icelanders call this period the ‘White Nights’). Leading theaters are the
National Theater and the
Reykjavík City Theater, closed in summer, but during the tourist season there is an attractive light entertainment show in English called ‘Light Nights’ with traditional Icelandic stories and folk songs. The
Iceland Symphony Orchestra (website:
www.sinfonia.is) gives concerts every week. Iceland also has its own opera company, performing in the smallest (400-seat) and northernmost opera house in the world. Performances run throughout the winter. Iceland has a vibrant music scene that has produced, amongst others, the internationally acclaimed artist Björk and Sigur Rós. This has, in turn, attracted a number of British and American pop stars to Iceland, such as singer Damon Albarn who partly owns the
Kaffibarinn in Reykjavík. The new
Icelandic National Concert and Conference Center is currently under construction and is scheduled for opening in autumn 2009 in Reykjavik. The iconic building, whose design is inspired by the country’s landscape, will be located by the harbor. The center, which cost US$100 million, will house the
Icelandic Symphony Orchestra when it is completed. The complex will include a state-of-the-art 1,800-seat concert hall and a 450-seat rehearsal and recital hall.
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