The 17 Best Food and Drink Souvenirs from Iceland
Headed to Reykjavik? Lucky you! I was in the city earlier this month for Iceland’s 13th annual Food & Fun Festival, and though I left New York with one small suitcase, I returned with that, plus about 14 overstuffed shopping bags. No question, Reykjavik is a city that knows how to eat—and the plentiful food and drink souvenirs you'll want to drag home prove it. Click ahead for 17 of the awesomest drinkable, edible, or otherwise kitchen-friendly mementos you’d be crazy to leave Iceland without.
Ashlea Halpern1/17Hot Dogs
Yes, really. Though you’ll receive no shortage of excellent restaurant recommendations from locals (Dill, Grillid, etc.), one of the best meals you’ll eat on your trip will also be the simplest: a hot dog. Specifically, the hot dog from Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, a kiosk down near the waterfront. Ask for it "with everything" and the dog (a heady blend of beef, pork, and lamb stuffed in a casing so snappy it actually pops when you bite into it) will come dressed in sweet Icelandic brown mustard, ketchup, and tangy rémoulade, all sandwiched into a bun flecked with both raw and crunchy deep-fried onions. Eat it standing up, and later grab a pack of Baejarins' frozen pylsurs-to-go at one of the duty-free shops in the Keflavik Airport. Just make sure the cashier gives you a veterinary certificate so U.S. Customs doesn’t confiscate your hot dogs upon re-entry. That would be devastating.
Ashlea Halpern2/17Mustard
You already bought the hot dogs; might as well go full Baejarins with a bottle of Pylsusinnep, or sweet brown Icelandic mustard. This too can be found in a local grocery or in the Keflavik Airport.
Lakrids3/17Licorice
Anyone who knows Scandinavians knows they’re bonkers about lakkrís, or licorice. While Lakrids is technically a Danish export, it's ubiquitous throughout Reykjavik. It’s also crazy addictive. My favorite kind is “A,” chewy, soft licorice coated with chocolate and licorice powder, though I wouldn’t say no to the “No. 2” (salty licorice), “C” (coffee-and-dark chocolate licorice), or “Easter” (crispy chocolate licorice) varieties. Look for it in indie boutiques, small grocers, or the duty-free stores at Keflavik Airport. (Seriously—Iceland's airport shopping is great.)
Ashlea Halpern4/17Chocolate
Meet Omnom, a.k.a. the Mast Brothers of Iceland. The bean-to-bar chocolatier has nailed the whole precious-ingredients thing (organic cacao, raw cane sugar, pure Icelandic milk). But also: Look at that packaging! It's gotta be the prettiest wrap job on their side of the Atlantic.
64 Reykjavik Distillery5/17Booze
You may be tempted to take home an electric-green bottle of Brennivín, a.k.a. “black death.” Don’t do it. The pungent caraway-flavored schnapps got its nickname for a reason, and is often served as an accompaniment to hákarl, or fermented shark. (Which Anthony Bourdain said is the worst thing he’s ever eaten.) For a souvenir you’ll actually drink, consider a bottle of wild bilberry, rhubarb, or crowberry liqueur from 64° Reykjavik Distillery instead. Not only is 64° the country's first micro-distillery, its forager liqueurs offer a gentler introduction to Icelandic booze than its paint-peeling cousin. Look for them at Iceland's state-run liquor stores, Vínbúdin, or at the Keflavik Airport.
Ashlea Halpern6/17More Booze
But okay. Let's say you really want to take home a bracing Icelandic memento: Foss Distillery's Birkir birch schnapps and Bjork birch liqueur are the ways to go. The former works well in shot form, the latter mixed into cocktails. Buy both at Vínbúdin or at the Keflavik Airport.
Ashlea Halpern7/17Spoons
Beautiful wooden utensils in every shape and size are sold at Farmers Market in Reykjavik's hip Fishpacking District. Good luck resisting the soft, slim-cut wool sweaters and animal-shaped lamps while you're there.
Saltverk8/17Salt
The flaky sea salt from Saltverk is harvested in small batches on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland's Westfjords. It's the only salt in the world whose process relies 100 percent on geothermal energy (read: geysers!). But it's also so, so good and pure and comes in a host of compelling flavors like black lava, arctic thyme, smoked birch, and licorice (of course).
Te & Kaffi9/17Coffee Beans
Spend any amount of time in Reykjavik and you'll likely stumble across Icelandic mini-chain/roastery Te & Kaffi. Buy some tea or coffee. Or make a special trip to Reykjavik Roasters, conveniently located en route to Hallgrímskirkja. The owner there earned his bean-roasting stripes at the prestigious Coffee Collective in Copenhagen. Sit for a cuppa, then grab a bag to go.
Ashlea Halpern10/17Artisan Mugs
You'll need one to go with those beans. I'm loving the work of Icelandic ceramicist Kristín Sigfrídur Gardarsdóttir, the artistic force behind Stúdio Subba. Just look at those abstract finishes! And the intentionally wobbly bottoms! And the thoughtful little indents for your fingers! These mugs are sold at Epal Design, but I also spotted them at the Reykjavik Art Museum's Hafnarhus branch gift shop.
Modir Jord11/17Chutneys
Módir Jord, a devoutly organic farm in faraway East Iceland, specializes in barley: barley flour, barley flakes, barley cereal, sesame and caraway crackers made with barley, barley veggie burgers—if it can be made from barley, they probably make it. But what really floored me was the outfit's delectable selection of lactofermented chutneys. Beetroot? Delicious. Fennel? Holy moly. Golden turnip? I quit! Look for Módir Jord in small grocers, health-food stores, or at the semi-annual farmers' market at Harpa. (The next one is scheduled for August 30–31, 2014.)
Hrim12/17Candlestick Holders
Because tableware matters—especially when you're throwing a dinner party to show off all the cool foodstuffs you bought in Iceland. Keilir's candlestick trio is made locally from hand-painted mahogany. Find it for sale at the excellent home design store, Hrím Honnunar Hús, along with Scandi brands like Dansk, Ferm Living, and Tonfisk Finland.
Ashlea Halpern13/17Horse Meat
This one is definitely BBYOR: Bring Back at Your Own Risk. But you know what? It might be worth it. Founded by Italian emigrant Roberto Tariello, the Tariello line of locally produced meats includes salami, bresaola, lonza, and pancetta. But the one you want to get your hands on is horse—an Icelandic speciality. Served in whisper-thin slices (in this photo, it's the dark one, in back on the right), it's delicate, mild, a teensy bit spicy, and totally delicious.
Ashlea Halpern14/17Seaweed
Another favorite discovery from the Harpa farmers' market: locally harvested seaweed and herb spices from Islensk Hollusta. The mom-and-pop purveyor dries and grounds Icelandic kelp, Dulse, Irish Moss, Dabberlocks, and Iceland Moss, then packages each with recipes. If you're not looking to cook, just grab a bag of crunchy, roasted sugar kelp for the plane ride home. Click here for a list of distributors.
Islandus Godur15/17"Pure Icelandic Treat"
That's how Islandus Godur markets itself, and the description is fitting. Just look at the ingredients list: Icelandic and Irish moss, downy birch, Arctic thyme, hand-picked blueberries, bilberries, crowberries, and whey (an often under-appreciated dairy byproduct Iceland churns out with abandon). The resultant liquid gold is rich in amino acids and antioxidants, sweet enough to drink straight, yet easily blended into smoothies or cocktails. And like everything else in Iceland, it's made using local ingredients and renewable energy sources. Buy a bottle at the aforementioned Harpa farmers' market or at the Keflavik Airport.
Ashlea Halpern16/17Cheese Knives
NSFW alert: Reykjavik is home to The Icelandic Phallological Museum, which, as you can imagine, is a real trip. The collection boasts more than 250 preserved phalluses (whale, polar bear, seal, walrus, even human), plus an impressive array of penis-shaped kitchen tools, including a toothpick holder, bar kit, and a mortar-and-pestle set. (Fun fact: Those last three were hand-carved by 73-year-old museum founder Sigurdur Hjartarson.) To commemorate your visit—and creep out your friends back home—pick up a suggestively shaped cheese knife in the gift shop.
Ashlea Halpern17/17Rhubarb Jam
The breakfast special at Bergsson Mathús is one of the best in Reykjavik. (Think: freshly baked sourdough bread with Serrano ham, Gouda, a soft-boiled egg, hummus, raw chia seed porridge, Greek yogurt with homemade muesli, and so much more.) But your indulgence needn't stop there. Pick up a little jar of their housemade rhubarb jam on the way out. Just don’t be a dope like me and leave it in your carry-on; apparently, our friends at the TSA consider jam a liquid. After being inspected for at least ten minutes by three uniformed officers, my jam was confiscated. Or "confiscated," as I actually like to imagine them all retreating to the break room and enjoying it with a slice of geyser bread.
