New Food Wednesday: September 7, 2011

Ok, so it seems like we've been posting a great deal about the sea and the odd foods that come from its bountiful bosom...

But I warn you today's is pretty gross.

That's one stinky fish!

Find out what it is and who eats it after the jump!


It's the aptly named "Stinkhead"

The Yup'ik Inuits of Southern Alaska eat this dish as a rare delicacy.  After the wild Salmon season (mid-late spring) has concluded these Alaskan natives remove the heads from their haul and bury the heads and guts in the ground for an extended period of time.  This allows the natural enzymes to "cure" the rotting heads.  Yum, sounds like it would be delish!

But wait there's more!

It turns out that the Alaskans aren't the only culture world wide to practice this comparatively odd culinary preparation.  The Scandinavians, particularly those of Greenland, still make and more importantly consume a dish they call "Hakarl," which we for the purposes of discussion can call "rotten shark."  Reportedly the taste is not unlike strong Limburger cheese doused in the Windex.  There go my Mother's relatives, inventing tasty morsels for year round good eats.

Hakarl drying in an undisclosed Scandinavian Hut

Eat good food.  Drink good beer.  And above all, stay classy.