I find that when I'm at a bus or train station wherever I travel, I find some kind of unique local food. Arancini in Palermo, currywurst in Berlin, or noodle bowls in Asia, they can be both tasty and authentic. But the bus station in Reykjavik, Iceland has the most interesting dish I've come across so far. Kjammi.
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Kjammi, or svið is a halved and boiled sheep's head usually served with mashed potatoes and turnips, or as part of a selection of traditional Icelandic dishes during the winter festival called Þorrablót. At the canteen Fljótt og Gott in Reykjavik's main bus station, the kjammi are sitting on the counter pre-plated waiting to be ordered. Apparently it was a popular drunk food and people used to head here after the clubs to have a kjammi og kók, like most people get kebabs elsewhere, but this tradition is not that common anymore.
I've been to Reykjavik 3 times and it wasn't until I was leaving for the airport that I decided to buy one. Lugging the kjammi along with fermented shark and other delicacies to Copenhagen, I took a few photos before eating it with mustard and rhubarb jam on bread. The taste and texture is similar to dry pork rillettes, and if I buy one again that's what I'll make. Mix the pieces with seasoned duck fat, garlic and cognac. That would be delicious.
Fljótt og Gott claims to sell over 10000 portions of kjammi a year, which is over 30 a day, so I think they'll keep making them for the foreseeable future, but make sure to buy one the next time you're in Reykjavik, as these type of food traditions tend to fade away over time.
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| View from the airport bus to Reyklavik |
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