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Icelandic fermented shark
Kæstur hákarl · Reykjavík, Iceland
Poisonous Greenland shark, fermented and air-dried, has become Iceland's most hard-core national dish.
Antes de ir · Know before you go
- Don't make a show of spitting it out or mocking it in front of others (it is traditional Icelandic food)
Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.
Culture
Cultura y costumbres
Contexto cultural
Fermented shark (hákarl) is an Icelandic national dish made from Greenland shark or other sleeper sharks. The fresh meat contains large amounts of urea and trimethylamine oxide and is poisonous, so it is specially fermented and then hung to dry for four to five months. With its strong smell of ammonia and fish it is very much an acquired taste, and first-timers often gag. It is sold in Icelandic shops all year round, but most often appears among the traditional foods served at the midwinter festival of Þorrablót.
Costumbres locales
Cut into small cubes and eaten on a toothpick, often with a shot of the Icelandic spirit brennivín
Etiquette
Normas y tabúes
Normas que se aplican aquí
Iceland: headlights on all year when driving
- Keep dipped headlights on all year, fit suitable tyres in winter and keep to the speed limit
- Drink-driving (Iceland's limit is stricter than the UK's)
Breaking traffic rules brings heavy fines.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Iceland travel advice
Iceland: keep away from waves, cliff edges and hot-spring vents
- Stay behind warning lines and tell your hotel your plans or register them with Safe Travel Iceland
- Going near waves, cliff edges and geothermal vents
These are the most common causes of accidents in Iceland.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Iceland travel advice
No lo haga DON'T
Don't make a show of spitting it out or mocking it in front of others (it is traditional Icelandic food)
Lo que aprecian los locales DO
Icelanders appreciate visitors who dare to try a piece without turning their noses up.
Plan your visit
Información práctica
Consejos de viaje
- Reykjavík's flea market and some restaurants offer small tasting portions
- on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, the Shark Museum lets you see the drying sheds. Prices and opening hours are set by each shop
- popular old places often have queues, so go outside peak mealtimes.