DINING
Icelandic food in general is based on fish and lamb, as well as owing much to Scandinavian and European influences. The salmon of Iceland is a great delicacy, served in many forms, one of the most popular being gravlax, a form of marinating. Fishing is Iceland’s most important export, accounting for some 80 per cent of the country’s Gross National Product. There is also a heavy emphasis on vegetables grown in greenhouses heated by the natural steam from geysers. Specialities include hangikjot (smoked lamb), harðfiskur (dried fish), skyr (curds) and Icelandic sild (herring marinated in various flavors). There have been some welcome additions to the selection of eating places in Reykjavík and there is now a small but attractive choice of restaurants to cater for all pockets with new tourist menus.
Bars have table and/or counter service, and will serve coffee as well as alcohol. Beer was prohibited in Iceland for 75 years and was finally legalized in March 1989. Alcohol is generally expensive (a large beer costs approximately US$8, a small one US$4.70). In coffee shops you pay for the first cup then help yourself to subsequent cups. There is a wide selection of European spirits and wines. Brennivin (a potent variation of aquavit made from potatoes) is a local drink.
Nightlife
There are plenty of nightclubs, bars, cafes and cinemas in Iceland, most of them in the capital. 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 gives concerts every two weeks at the University Theater during the season (September to June). Iceland has a vibrant music scene which has produced, amongst others, the internationally acclaimed artist Björk. This has, in turn, attracted a number of British and American pop stars to Iceland, such as Damon Albarn from the British band Blur, who opened his own cafe, the Kaffibarinn, in Reykjavík. |
