One of the great joys of visiting a new place is
getting to taste its food, and that’s exactly what
you will experience with our Greenland tour
packages. The cuisine of Greenland primarily
focusses on the meat of marine mammals, fish, and
birds. Usually packed with high levels of protein,
Greenland’s cuisine is quite influenced by Canadian,
American, British, and Danish food. Since the
country is majorly covered by glaciers, the most
common food source is the sea.
Although green vegetables aren’t commonly seen in
Greenland, the scenario has shifted a bit due to
climate change, thereby extending the growing
season. This has allowed the farmers of the country
to grow crops such as broccoli. Potatoes and rice
provide most of the starchy content in Greenland’s
meals, with onion being a common ingredient in
majority of the dishes.
Suaasat is known as Greenland’s national dish. The
primary ingredient of this traditional Greenlandic
soup is seal, which is a vital part of Inuit
cuisine. In addition to seal meat, the thick broth
of the soup is created using onions, barley, black
pepper, salt, and bay leaves. Rice is often used in
place of barley, and some replace seal meat with sea
birds, caribou, reindeer, or whale. The soup is a
common dish to serve during Christmas, but it’s also
consumed throughout the year.
Mattak, which is basically sliced whale, is a staple
food for the locals of Greenland who live in harsh
weather conditions. This dish is made from the skin
and underlying fat layer of a whale and is often
served during special occasions and festivals in the
form of small cubes. The locals prefer to consume it
raw, roasted, or boiled. The dish has been given the
name of ‘Greenlandic chewing gum’ due to its chewy
texture. Make sure to chew it properly before
swallowing it.
Musk ox is the largest land mammal in Greenland, and
the fur of the animal is of such high quality that
it’s used in making clothes and blankets. The
species is also a delicacy of the country, and its
lean meat is utilised in numerous dishes, enhancing
their taste with its tenderness and juiciness. It’s
served in several restaurants across Greenland as
steaks, soups, and tartare. Chefs also like to cook
musk ox in a medium rare form to amplify its
flavour.
Wild berries grow in abundance in Greenland. This
includes alpine bearberries, crowberries,
blueberries, blackberries, and juniper berries.
These wild berries are a vital part of Inuit cuisine
and are either eaten raw, cooked, or as a post-meal
dessert. The red alpine bearberries are often served
with fish.
Lumpfish roe, which is a go-to alternative for
caviar, is a common appetiser in several restaurants
across Greenland. Lumpfish is one of the most
popular fish in Greenland, with the dish often being
referred to as ‘the caviar of the north’. Roe refers
to the fully ripe internal egg of a fish, and as you
bite into it, you get to taste its salty and mild
texture.
Cod is a fish that majorly dominates the fishing
industry in Greenland and is a vital part of the
Inuit diet. Due to the cold waters of the Arctic,
the fish gets to grow slowly and become more
flavourful. The fish has a mild taste and while it
can be cooked in multiple ways, having it dry is one
of the most common ways to eat it. In fact, dried
cod has been a beloved snack since the time of the
Vikings. The fish is often paired with butter.
The ptarmigan is a small bird that is native to the
Arctic and is particularly visible in the country
during autumn and winter. The feathers of this bird
transform from brown in the summer season to white
during the colder months. The gamey meat of a
ptarmigan resembles that of a pheasant and is quite
a delicacy in Greenland. The breast or thigh of the
bird is marinated and then served either boiled or
raw, usually along with roasted potatoes.
Seal, which is known as ‘puisi’ in Greenland, has
been a primary part of the Inuit diet for centuries.
The meat of a seal is high in protein, and the fat
tends to keep the human body warm during the harsh
winters. You can consume seal dried, boiled,
stir-fried, deep-fried, marinated, or grilled in the
form of a steak.
Greenlandic lamb, which is known as ‘sava’, is one of
the best quality lambs in the world because of the
country’s unspoiled and clean rearing
conditions. It’s of particularly good quality in the
southern region of Greenland because that’s where
green grass grows beyond the Arctic Circle. You can
try lamb sausage, lamb cutlet, or lamb soup mixed
with turnips, celery, potatoes, and carrots.