The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Greenlandic Foods. If you manage to be in an Greenlandic restaurant or you are visiting Greenland, I recommend the following:
1. Miteq (Eider Sea Duck)
The eider, or aavooq, is Greenland’s most sought-after breeding game bird, not only for its meat but also for its isolation. Eiders are especially common on the Greenlandic coast, where they breed on small islands and rocks. Eiders are part of traditional Greenlandic dishes, such as fluff in red barley, but they have also found their way into modern Greenlandic cuisine and are served in gourmet restaurants as puff pastry breasts a la Bourguignon.
2. Arfeq Nikkui (Whale Meat)
The whale meat is marinated in a secret spice mixture and then lightly smoked. It is served as an appetizer and is often sliced like carpaccio. Fresh whale fillets are often fried and grilled in a raw environment. The taste is generally described as fatty, oily, salty, sweet, juicy, meaty and reminiscent of cod liver oil.
3. Nipisaq (Lumpfish Roe)
Manta ray roe is one of the most widely available roe species and is generally reasonably priced. It is obtained from the roundhead fish found mainly in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The natural colour of caviar can vary, but is usually light grey or dusty pink. The pearls are small and have a mild, salty and slightly sweet taste. Rock caviar is a good addition to seafood, salads, soups or main dishes.
4. Sava (Greenlandic Lamb)
Greenlandic lamb is almost exclusively free-range and is considered one of the highest quality lambs in the world due to the clean and unspoiled rearing conditions. Most, if not all, Greenlandic lamb comes from the southern regions of the country, where green grass grows beyond the Arctic Circle.
5. Saarullik Panertoq (Dried Cod)
Cod is abundant in the Arctic and is therefore a large part of many Nordic cuisines. The cold waters around Greenland are rich in cod, which is often filleted or smoked. The most common method is to salt and dry the fish in the sun so that it can be stored longer and eaten as a snack or in soups and other local dishes. July and August are the best time for summer cod fishing.
6. Qilalukkat Orsua (Narwhal Blubber)
Even more popular than whale meat is whale blubber, which provides a rich source of vitamin C and fatty fats in the Greenlandic diet. A local delicacy, narwhal gizzards, although plump, have a crisp texture with a hard outer layer and a layer of white cartilage. A very sharp curved knife known as a Ulu or ‘woman’s knife’ is used to cut the thick, rubbery fat into bite-sized pieces (Mattak) which are eaten with salt or soy sauce.
7. Qaleralik (Halibut)
Halibut offers an incredible dining experience. The steak on the plate was bright white and melt-in-the-mouth with a soft, creamy and slightly sweet texture. The cold conditions made this halibut grow very slowly, which enhanced the flavour.
8. Tapas
One of the best ways to sample traditional Greenlandic food is through tapas, which are served in many restaurants around the country. Katuaq Kulturhus Cafétuaq in Nuuk offers a tapas platter with six specialities including musk ox pate, dried whale and scallops. Ilulissat’s restaurant Mamartut also offers ingredients from Disko Bay: whale meat, seal soup and mackerel nuggets.
9. Umimmak (Muskox)
Greenland’s largest land mammal is the musk ox, which can weigh up to 400 kg and roams in herds in the Konklussuaq region of the country. The thick brown skin of the musk cow is used for coats, rugs and other handicrafts. Although nutmeg comes in a variety of forms, from steaks to soups, restaurants often serve it raw as tartar. The traditional name umimmak means “long-bearded” in Greenlandic.
10. Puisi (Seal)
Seals have been a staple of the Inuit diet for thousands of years, and Greenland’s national dish is Suaasat, a bisque usually prepared with seal meat (although it can also be prepared with other types of meat). Today, the main ingredients of Suaasat are meat, barley and onions, although many people substitute round rice for barley, which may not be available in local kiosks.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional North American Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.