Issue1 TasteBound compressed - Flipbook - Page 98
FAR FAROE AWAY
‘Ocean Spaghetti has a really nice greenish feel to it,’
he explains, pouring a fiery shot. ‘But we had to dial it
down. We have some strong flavours here and, as tourists
come in and we’re exporting out, we’ve had to dial back
a bit of the Faroe palette.’
‘Strong’ is an understatement when it comes to the islands’
national dish. With no trees or salt, preservation
was once a challenge for Faroese people – and the
solution was ræst. Meaning ‘fermented’, ræst relies
solely on the ocean wind to dry meat or fish,
usually lamb and cod, over several months in
slatted outhouses called hjallur.
The mutton leg, skerpikjøt, is its most notorious
iteration. At Tórshavn’s eponymous restaurant
Ræst, Mexican head chef Sebastián Jiménez
serves traditional ræst with foreign twists,
elevating and exploring Faroese flavours to locals’
delight. But he attenuates the intensity for foreign
guests by sticking to ‘milder’ female hind legs.
‘It was tough at the beginning to please everyone,’ he says.
‘All these fermented ingredients are an acquired taste. The
first time you try it, you’re not going to like it. That’s for sure.’
My skerpikjøt experience took place in the home of sheep
farmers Óli and Anna Rubekson. Despite the islands’ sudden
ascension in the culinary world, Faroese culture has never
been big on restaurants. Older generations have full freezers
and receive regular donations from seafaring family. Even
Ziska has trouble convincing his in-laws to dine out: ‘They
don’t understand why you would use money on something you
more or less can get for free.’
The solution was heimablídni, or home
hospitality, where locals open up their homes
to hungry strangers. Óli and Anna clearly rule
the heimablídni roost; their turf-roofed home
on the coast-hung village of Velbastaður, a scenic,
25-minute drive from Tórshavn, is renowned
among locals and foreigners alike.
Propped against their marble kitchen island
and warmed by Anna’s rhubarb-and-gin is their
skerpikjøt. Óli ponders its undeniable stench.
‘You know when someone at a party smokes, and
the next day your clothes, hair and skin all smell
of it…?’ He trails off. ‘When we bring the lamb in and leave it
here – oof!’ He huffs with a wicked grin as Anna grimaces. ‘We
have to move it. It’s a bit too much for us too.’
While Anna finishes off a more familiar, unfermented lamb
roast, Óli brings forth a skerpikjøt. The meat is biltong dry,
an unidentifiable white film stretched across the wine-dark
‘It’s an acquired
taste. The first
time you try it,
you’re not going
to like it. That’s
for sure’
W H E R E
Paz
Paz’s opening marks
a long-awaited new
chapter for Faroese
haute cuisine. Based
in the 62°N hotel in
Tórshavn, Poul Andrias
Ziska’s triumphant
homecoming is
nothing short of
extraordinary. The
12-course tasting menu
offers inspired takes on
traditional fare, with
innovative wine and
non-alcoholic pairings
courtesy of sommelier
Tobias Løwenstein.
Tasting menu with wine
pairing, £365pp. paz.fo
Ræst
This restaurant,
which is concealed
within a 400-year-old
house in Tórshavn
harbour, takes the
Faroese love of
fermented meats
to new frontiers.
Love it or hate it,
96
TA S T E B O U N D
Ræst offers a rare slice
of genuine novelty
to foreign palates.
Add sommelier Karin
Vista’s extraordinary
wine list, and you’re
guaranteed an
unmissable evening.
Tasting menu with wine
pairing, £342pp. raest.fo
ROKS
The so-called ‘casual’
sister restaurant to
Ræst is laid-back in
atmosphere only: the
food and wine served
here demonstrates
the same elevated
attention to detail
as diners find at Ræst.
Two tasting menus
show off the best of
the North Atlantic’s
rich bounty: the local
scallops with vanilla
foam and Greenlandic
snow crab are among
their many highlights.
Tasting menus from
£80pp. roks.fo
T O
E A T
Breyðvirkið
When the bank
denied this bakery
a start-up loan, locals
crowdfunded it – that’s
how good the breads
and pastries are at
Breyðvirkið. Now
you’ll find a nearconstant (but quickmoving) queue outside
– the gooey brunsviger
is mouth-watering.
Pastries from £3.20.
instagram.com/
breydvirkid
Ástaklokkan
Watching the crowds
pile into this toasty,
tiny café is like magic.
Ástaklokkan prioritises
Faroese ingredients,
such as local eggs and
homemade fermented
butter. The cardamom
cappuccino and
cheese-jam roll are
perfect – especially
after a late night on
the Tórshavn tiles.
Breakfast from £5.50.
astaklokkan.fo
Fiskastykkið
Named for the stonepaved ground on
which fish is dried,
this heritage building
near the airport is now
an idyllic lunch spot.
The simple, local menu
won’t disappoint.
Our order? The salt
cod soup with herbs,
leeks and crouton
crumb, followed by the
marinated scallops
– a veritable mountain
of them – with lobster.
Lunch with wine from
£45pp. fiskastykkid.fo
Óli and Anna
Rubekson’s
Heimablídni
Experience Faroese
hospitality with
a traditional feast
prepared and served
up by your charismatic
hosts, in Óli and Anna
Rubekson’s beautiful
home – all wood, turf
and picture windows
overlooking the ocean.
The couple also caters
for private parties
and meet-and-eat
group dinners.
4-course dinner
with drinks, £110pp.
heimablidni.fo
Skerpi
Another member of
the Ræst/ROKS family,
Skerpi’s mobile shed
takes private dinner
parties directly to the
freshest produce. Its
current setting – on
a fjord, a 20-minute
drive from Tórshavn
– will quickly convince
guests that they’ve
made a good call in
coming here to try the
Faroes’ stellar seafood.
Private 5- or 6-course
lunch with wine
pairing for up to 8
diners, £1,370. raest.fo
