The Grapevine’s guide to sounding Icelandic, one word at a time
One of the plights of tourists and foreign-born Icelanders alike is ordering food with a daunting Icelandic name. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a bakery looking at a delicious-looking treat — but that treat has a 15-letter name. You have two options: pointing through the glass at what you want or forfeit, settling for a croissant.
Well, I’m here to help you order: telling you what the names of a few of these elusive treats mean in an effort to alleviate some of your pastry-induced panic. Let’s start with my favourite: hjónabandssæla. The cake so good it’ll spark a marriage, or save it. Okay, okay, I’m burying the lede. This treat uses Icelandic rhubarb, and is both simple and delicious. But what does its name mean? As always, it’s a compound word. The words hjónabands (marriage) and sæla (happiness) come together to form this treat’s name: “happy marriage.” Hey, this isn’t an advice column, but here’s our advice: if you’re having marriage troubles, try making (or buying) some of this delicious cake. Let us know if it helps.
Next! Sjónvarpskaka is another easy compound word. Kaka means cake (in Iceland, not Spain), and sjónvarp means television. TV Cake? Af hverju (why)?! Let me tell you: way back in October 1966, just one month into the advent of television broadcasting in Iceland, a recipe for “sjónvarpskaka” appeared in the newspaper Alþýðublaðið. The recipe’s introduction explains that since everyone is watching TV all the time now, wouldn’t it be nice to have something to nibble on while you watch? Hence, a cake to eat while watching TV, or “TV cake.”
Lastly: ömmusnúðar. A common treat with a sweet name. Ömmu is amma declined, and amma is Icelandic for grandma. Snúður means swirl, roll, or twist, which is frequently and commonly used for cinnamon rolls. This last word is a bargain because you’ll see snúður all over the bakery counter: kanilsnúður (cinnamon roll), vanillusnúður (vanilla roll), karamellu og múslísnúður (caramel and muesli roll). Ömmusnúðar is ömmusnúður’s plural, which you’ll encounter more as they’re usually sold by the bag.
Don’t these words feel a little less scary now? Next time you’re at the bakery, don’t go for the croissant (which, chances are, you’re also mispronouncing) — go for happy marriage cake, television cake, or grandma rolls.
Learn more Icelandic words hér.
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