What to eat Greenland? culinary specialties and gastronomy

In Greenland, the traveler's taste buds are likely to be turned upside down, especially if meat is involved. In the past, Inuit subsisted mainly on the products of hunting and fishing: land mammals, sea mammals, birds, fish, crustaceans and mollusks, which they ate raw. This peculiarity long earned them the sometimes pejorative nickname ofeskimo, literally "raw meat eaters" in the Algonquian language. This frozen land made it impossible for them to eat produce harvested from the ground or to cook their food easily, often for lack of wood.

Among the meats(neqi) commonly consumed was, of course, seal(puisi). For Greenlanders, this is the food that gives strength, as its meat is obviously very fatty, like that of most pack ice animals. A must: if you try a frozen seal, cut off a small piece of liver with a thin strip of fat and swallow. No need to chew, it just melts in your mouth. It may seem very unusual, even a little rancid, but it's an Inuit staple that gives the body enormous energy. Whale(arfeq) meat is rare, stringy and very tender. The meat is cooked as a steak and is close to the excellent, flavorful meat we like in Europe. Grilled whale with sautéed onions and potatoes - a real treat! The slightly elastic skin is much appreciated by Greenlanders, who call it mattak and eat it raw or sometimes in salads. Walrus(aaveq) is known for its very strong meat.

Polar bear(nanoq) is rarely eaten, as it is an endangered species with a very strict hunting quota. This rare meat has a reputation for being delicious. Narwhal(qilalugaq qenertoq), like whale, is a highly refined and sought-after delicacy. Considered a luxury dish, it can be reserved for special occasions, as well as a fine meal. The price has risen to 520 DKK (€70) per kilo in 2021. You'll find them at the hunters' market. Reindeer(tuttu) and musk ox(umimmak) are closer to our European tastes. These animals are mainly found in the south. Sheep(sava) is the only imported animal that has been successfully bred in Greenland. They are said to be the best in the world.

Although Greenland doesn't have exactly the same winged game as Europe, wild birds(timmissat) are still popular with the locals. We hunt eider ducks (sea ducks whose down is used to stuff clothes), ptarmigan (a type of partridge whose plumage turns white in winter), guillemots and mergulas (a type of seabird) whose flavor is similar to that of our European poultry. Certain species of seagull are also sometimes hunted.

Before continuing, a reminder for those who are horrified that we can eat whale, bear or seal, which are considered symbols of environmental protection: the locals will explain that, in this age of global warming, it's preferable to eat what's close to home, fished or hunted in a very controlled way according to quotas that allow for the renewal of species, rather than importing industrially-raised products from the ends of the earth, such as cattle fed on soya grown on remnants of tropical forests. All the more so in a part of the world where there are no other food resources available and where eating cetacean meat is not a luxury, but a means of survival. It's important to remember that if only Greenlanders hunted whales, they certainly wouldn't be endangered today.

Nevertheless, there are also ingredients that are a little more classic, or at least less disturbing for the uninitiated. Blueberries, lingonberries, blackberries and crowberry - a creeping plant producing dark-blue berries - are harvested in autumn, and often garnish cakes and other desserts. Fruit compotes also accompany meat dishes, while certain seaweeds are preserved as a food reserve for the winter. Mushrooms (boletes, agarics, russulas) are highly prized, as are wild salads (sorrel, dandelions, pink orbit, fireweed), flowers (campanula, pirole) and edible seeds, which abound in summer. These are now much easier to find in the stores, but unfortunately always at exorbitant prices. Cultivated vegetables and fruit are rare, but climate change has slightly extended their growing season. Greenlandic farmers have therefore experimented with new crops, such as broccoli, potatoes, onions and even strawberries.

Greenlanders also eat a wide variety of fish(aalisakkat). The choice is vast: halibut, cod, salmon, capelin, redfish, arctic char and more. Raw, boiled, en papillote, wood-grilled, smoked, even dried in summer. All the possibilities of European cuisine are available for this multitude of incomparably tasty fish. Raw halibut and boiled trout are particularly popular. Greenland also abounds in plankton-filled seafood(uillut), particularly succulent shrimp, which has become one of the country's most important industries. There are also mussels, scallops, snow crabs and sea urchins, which have a very pronounced taste.

Greenlanders eat three times a day at a pace similar to that of Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries: a hearty breakfast, a short lunch break around 12 noon and a classic dinner around 6pm, except for restaurants which close later, around 9pm. While the typical meal is still based on proteins, fats and starches, it's worth noting that cardiovascular disease is rare in Greenland, since seal, whale and fish are rich in unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids.

You'll soon notice the high cost of food, especially in the east of the country, where imports are rare, occurring only 2-3 times a year, as winter prevents ships from sailing. Nowadays, international food is becoming more and more common: in every town, you can find food imported from foreign countries, including vegetables, fruit and dairy products, all at very high prices. However, even if Greenlanders' diets have changed, they are still very fond of traditional foods. Not to be missed is the Igasa food festival in August, dedicated to Greenlandic gastronomy and its protagonists (farmers, hunters, fishermen, chefs).

Restaurants are generally few and far between, even absent in some towns, and expensive. You may find small stalls selling French fries, hamburgers and sausages. In the capital, you can also find Thai, Japanese, Italian and American food.

Although Greenland doesn't boast a diversity of recipes comparable to many countries with a milder climate, it does boast a few specialties, some of which are appetizing, others which undoubtedly leave tourists more divided. Among the most common dishes, it's impossible to miss suaasat, the national dish. This famous soup made from boiled seal meat, accompanied by onions and rice, resembles a highly concentrated stew with a fishy aftertaste. For a first experience of seal meat, avoid eating the coveted eye as a delicacy, opting instead for the ribs or lean parts cooked as steaks or kebabs. Seals are surprisingly meaty in appearance and fishy in taste.

Misiraq is a specialty made from animal fat (seal or beluga) that is left to ferment for several weeks, releasing a so-called cheesy aroma. Fermentation and drying are two techniques widely used by the Inuit to process and preserve very dense meats with powerful flavors that need to be pared before they can be enjoyed. One example is igunaq, a method of preparing meat, particularly walrus and other marine mammals, in which the meat and fat of animals caught in summer are buried in the ground, then fermented in autumn and frozen in winter, ready for consumption the following year. Igunaq is considered a delicacy and is highly prized. Consumption has declined over the years, as a wider range of food products has become available in Arctic regions. Nor is it without risk - inadequate production can lead to illness and death from botulism. This is also the risk involved in tasting probably Greenland's most bizarre specialty: kiviaq. It consists of birds (usually dwarf mergula) that have not been gutted - thus retaining their feathers and viscera - and left to macerate in sewn sealskin for several months. Once ready, the skin and feathers are removed, and the birds are eaten raw. One technique is to remove the head and suck out the juices produced by the putrefaction. Some describe the consistency as pasty and sweet, with a nutty aftertaste. Whatever the case, it's a dish for the more adventurous. This dish is eaten mainly in the north, in the Thule region, during the winter, where it has become extremely rare. It's easy to see why.

But of course, there are also more traditional products. Breads(qaqortuliaq) and pastries(kaagit) include kalaallit kaagiat, a kind of brioche cake with raisins and cardamom. By far the most popular hot beverage is coffee, shared and drunk all day long, especially during kaffemik ("coffee festival"). As for alcohol, there's a local brand of beer called Kayak, produced in the south of the country at Narsaq. A microbrewery in Nuuk called Godthaab Bryghus also produces its own local beer called Immiaq, with different tastes and aromas based on Arctic thyme, crowberry and so on (Nittaalaq, Umìmak, Greenlandic Stout, etc.). Needless to say, the classic Danish brands (Carlsberg and Tuborg) are omnipresent. To reduce alcohol-related problems, alcohol sales hours are controlled (no sales after 6 p.m.), and in the north of the country it is even banned altogether, in addition to being heavily taxed. Some beers at less than 1% are also sold in the country to reduce the effects. In any case, it seems important to point out that this scourge has diminished considerably in recent years, thanks to major prevention campaigns.