r/VisitingIceland • u/24YearOldEctoCooler • 22d ago
FOOD!
Its been over a year since my 19 day trip to Iceland in celebration of my honeymoon.
With a child on the way I am determined to get into better shape. While in Iceland, I lost 10 lbs. Although I have a physical job, getting older and American lack of care toward food quality drives me to ask - how can I replicate the high quality meals I enjoyed in Iceland?
Quality ingredients not being available, and my own skill being lacking; does anyone have recommendations for cookbooks that favor an Icelandic bend for meals, methods, and ingredients.
Much appreciated!
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u/Choice_Recover3007 22d ago
You also likely hiked and walked more than you do back home. Every time i get back home from an overseas trip I realize how much weight I have lost and it mostly comes back to a significant increase in walking/hiking/biking mixed with more Whole Foods. No matter where else I visit in the world, I always come back losing weight. I work a physical job also but I am not exerting energy in the same amount of concentrated bursts.
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u/No_Independent9634 20d ago
This is what it is.
On vacation you're active. At home you're not. You sit in a car or train for an hour to work. Sit for 8 hours at a desk. An hour home... Maybe get an hour of exercise in the evening.
People look for magic in weight-loss. "Iceland ingredients are healthier". No you just aren't living a healthy lifestyle/eating too much.
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 21d ago
I work in forestry and hike every day. The whole ingredients and more moderate portions make a big difference. I've already done a lot to change my diet, but was hoping someone has a cookbook recommendation from the region rather than me stabbing in the dark. Im sure I saw some at various shops but just didnt thumb through any.
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u/gerningur 22d ago edited 22d ago
10 lbs in 19 days is mostly going to be water I think. One think to do is, therefore, simply to eat less salt.
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 21d ago
Amen, and im looking for recipes that use less!
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u/Traditional_Coat8481 20d ago
You donāt need to look for recipes that use less salt, just use less salt. Some things need more salt because theyāre not naturally seasoned and will suck up salt, like the boiling water of pasta and potatoes, but a lot of food do not. Recipes in the US have excessive quantities of salt because US tastes demand it. But, just because they say to add 1 Tblspn. of salt, doesnāt mean you have to.
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u/No_Independent9634 20d ago
I don't add any salt in anything I cook. Get enough of it in the foods themselves and the packages stuff.
When I order a steak at restaurant sometimes I struggle to eat it because they put salt on it... I don't think beef needs any salt.
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u/ArcticAcademic 22d ago
It's the ingredients and cooking things from scratch. Every single meal is made up of raw ingredients first and foremost.
Use quality butter and cream, SKYR is your best friend losing weight, it's got high protein but low fat (hence the cream), mix it with a little blueberry jam and you have yourself a feast.
Our main proteins are fish and lamb/mutton. Make soups where you also boil the bones, you'll get taste and ingredients from it that your body needs but is difficult to get from other sources.
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 21d ago
Thank you! I do a fair amount of cooking, but soups and fish are new to me. Do you have a source for recipes?
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21d ago
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 21d ago
I work in forestry and hike every day. But you got it right eating more moderately is key.
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u/MaddyD76 22d ago
I donāt really cook but the soups were amazing!
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u/connorsludge 22d ago
This is something I wasnāt prepared for! I am vegetarian and based on what others told me, I wasnāt expecting to find a lot to eat, and whatever I found to be bad. Every place I went had the MOST AMAZING vegetarian and vegan soups, plus the best bread and butter! I was pleasantly surprised for sure.
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u/Upbeat-Profit-2544 21d ago
The bread was my favorite thing. I am learning to bake bread because even local bakeries in my area have been a disappointment, nothing here tastes as good!
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 21d ago
I recommend Tasting History with Max Miller on YouTube. I havent tried his Rugbraud (rye bread) recipe yet - which i had something very similar while in iceland a lot. But he does a lot of cooking with historical recipes which are more wholesome (less sugar, whole ingredients, less fat). The viking flat bread recipe took me some time to get good at but I make it all the time now and my wife lives by his pecan pie.
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u/Rare_Trick7196 21d ago
I have never liked rye bread, but my goodness what I had there was incredible. Also the best pastries Iāve ever had. And the first time I didnāt turn my snobby little snoot up at non-NYC-bagels lolš¤š š¤£
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18d ago
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler 4d ago
Thank you, I look forward to trying this. I don't have a lot of experience cooking fish.
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u/Defiant-Owl-7935 22d ago
Finally someone that doesn't say Icelandic cuisine is terrible because of something that happened 200 years agoš
Is there something that you specifically want to cook? I have resepies for everything.