Þorramatur: Spears Shall Be Shaken…

If you’re looking to imbibe some ‘traditional Icelandic cuisine’ (“Þorramatur”), you’re in luck, because this is about the only time of year sane people, Icelandic or otherwise, tend to do it. This year, the week-based Old Icelandic Calendar dictates that the month of Þorri will be between January 21 and February 20, and it has been tradition for about 130 years or so for a feast of sour food (read: pickled ram’s testicles that may or may not have been pissed on to keep it ‘fresh’) to be prepared and eaten at some point during said month.

This is all supposedly in honour of celebrity deity Thor, who, while being an immensely powerful god of thunder and battle, capable of destroying practically anything with his 1d8/2d6+5 magical dwarven war hammer, was apparently incapable of cooking for shit. If preparing a feast of the aforementioned foods does not appeal to you, but you’d still like to try some, the Grapevine can recommend no better experience than the one offered by Iceland’s own Viking Disneyland, the Fjörukráin restaurant and hotel in Hafnafjörður.

This Þorri, they will be offering a sour food menu to anyone asking for it, a rambunctious schedule of Scandinavian musicians and performers, as well as weekend group rates for night stays and a sour food buffet feast for the very brave, all of it set in their Meduseld-like dining hall, complete with Viking props and décor, making this a worthwhile stop for anyone whose Facebook photo album needs some spicing up. Come for the food. But don’t eat it. For God’s sake, just don’t eat it.

January 21 – February 20
Fjörukráin, Strandgata 55,  220 Hafnafjörður, prices vary
More info on www.fjorukrain.is