Þorrablót (transliterated as thorrablot) is an Icelandic midwinter festival, named after the month of Þorri in the historical Icelandic calendar (corresponding to mid-January to mid-February) and blót, literally meaning sacrifice.
Þorrablót is an evening with dinner where participants give speeches and recite poems, originally to honor the god Nordic Thor (Þórr), whose name is supposed to be associated with Þorri. Calling the festival a blót (a sacramental festival held in honor of a god in the mythology (Nordic) clearly refers to the pre-Christian era, which many 19th-century nationalists considered a golden age in Icelandic history.
Thorrablot, the great sacrificial meal
The food at Þorrablót is called þorramatur (Þ in Icelandic makes a "th"), and includes a wide range of preserved, delicious and, uh, otherwise delicious dishes.
Icelandic dishes like hangikjöt (smoked lamb), harðfiskur (dried fish) and rúgbrauð (sweet, dark rye bread) share the buffet with treats that are more of an acquired taste:
- hákarl (fermented Greenland shark)
- hrútspungar (ram testicles)
- svið (scorched sheep's head)
- sviðasulta (cheese made from svið)
- hvalsrengi (whale fat)
- blood sausage (blood sausage)
- lifrarpylsa (foie gras sausage)
- Brennivín (Icelandic schnapps) is the drink of choice to wash it all down.
Because these traditional foods were meant to be eaten until the end of winter, they are largely tough or unwanted parts of the animal that have been preserved in mysa (fermented whey). Mysa both preserves the food and breaks down the proteins, which tenderizes the meat and makes it more flavorful.
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Today, Icelanders celebrate Thorrablot. This big meal of traditional dishes is an opportunity to bring together family and friends around a big meal to mark the end of winter. #mythology #myth #legend #January #Iceland #thorrablot
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