How Icelandic Fermented Shark Is Made | Regional Eats | Food Insider

for those wondering about the "accidental" discovery on how to make it edible. most likely it was because the meat was thrown away after the liver had been harvested the meat started to rot where it was left and people noticed that arctic foxes and gulls started to eat it after the toxins were gone. noticing the animals didn't die they started to experiment with the idea of letting the meat rot before eating it and later drying it for a better texture. I don't know if it's accurate but as an Icelander, I've heard this explanation the most

He's so passionate when describing his jobs, so rare

For anyone curious about the science side, I was fortunate enough to visit Iceland last November. Greenland shark is toxic due to high levels of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). While the exact strain is unknown, there is a bacteria that is also naturally found in the Greenland shark. In the presence of oxygen gas, the bacteria will eat the TMAO, which renders the meat safe to eat, but produces ammonia as a byproduct. After the meat is no longer toxic, it is hung outside to release as much ammonia as possible to make the meat more palatable.

This guy is so happy to be able to explain his way of life to someone that's going to show it the world.

I love this man's voice. He makes talking about rotting toxic sharks sound like poetry.

This man isn’t just a fisherman, he’s a tour guide, shark expert and scientist all in one

What a cool privilege to be able to meet someone like this. His family is the sole source in the area of a unique Icelandic delicacy and has been doing this for years !!

This is literally the same guy who was on Bizarre Foods. Makes sense. He’s probably one of only a few Hákarl producers in the world, let alone one who’s good on camera, willing to give tours to film crews, and fully fluent in English.

Have this host more often, she's fun and doesn't take too much away from the person she's interviewing. She's also not obnoxious. Meanwhile, the guy oozes so much passion its infectious. Very interesting topic as well.

You know your food is hardcore when the main method of preservation is to just leave it lying around, because almost nothing else on earth will touch it, not even harmful bacteria.

As a South American who was lucky enough to tour several countries in Europe (my fiancee is European, so she wanted to go home to Ukraine for a year and we just traveled around Europe for a couple weeks) I was actually lucky enough to try this after taking a ship to Reykjavik and while it isn't something I would seek out it was a unique experience and I'm happy I got to try their local customs!

It's crazy that the fermentation process was an accident and they still ate it. Just amazing how this came to be, and also they're keeping the tradition

Everyone in the comments talking about the sharks going extinct- He mentions explicitly that they no longer hunt them but use the meat of those caught accidentally

There's something very classically Viking about a knife-wielding man from Iceland teaching us how to eat sharks

You know when a guy loves his craft because he smiles every time he gives a piece to somebody.

The hostess is absolutely charismatic and does a wonderful job of getting the man to explain the whole process. Wonderful that she didn't wrinkle her nose at trying some of the shark and even had a second taste. The man too explains every thing so simply yet it educates you so much. This is a really nice video and I truly enjoyed watching it.

The interviewer did a tremendously good job. She was a great sport.

I want to know how they first "accidentally" found the process.. "Hey, you know that poisonous shark meat we left to rots weeks ago? Want to try eating it now?"

I thought this was absolutely brilliant! The resourcefulness of these people to take something toxic and render it edible is worthy of much respect! I don’t have a strong gut , so I would probably pass but I learned a lot 😊

Fermented food is good for digestion, because the bacteria that fermented it has basically partially digested it already, making it easier for our digestion to absorb the nutrients. Saurkraut, kimche, kombucha, even non-pasteurized beer. I would love to try this fermented shark, if only I knew where to find it here in the US.