The Icelandic Hotdog

 So what do you do when you have been up, awake, touring, eating and dead on your feet for 34 hours? You go to bed by 9:00 PM, sleep like the dead until 2:35 AM and then are wide awake long before the rest of the tour group. So I got up and decided my first blog post would be about the Icelandic Hotdog I ate yesterday.

My endocrinologist has visited Iceland numerous times and when he heard I was going on the Northern Lights Tour of Iceland, he made a special point of telling me I MUST try an Icelandic Hotdog while in Reykjavik. (Another person on the tour was also given the same advice from the same doctor!) I had done a bit of research prior to eating this national food item of Iceland as another friend posted her hotdog photo when the cruise ship she was on made a stop in Iceland. She also commented on the interesting taste. I told a number of people in our tour group they MUST try the hotdog once our native tour guide mentioned she would take us to the famous hotdog stand.

The sad part is I was so busy eating my hot dog, I don't have any photos of it. Hubby took one on his phone, but he is still sleeping. (He is now awake and I got the photo.) Our tour guide took one of me biting into my hotdog, but he hasn't shared the photo yet. So I am borrowing photos from the internet and one from someone else in our tour group of the Icelandic Hotdog.

borrowed photo

The famous hotdog stand is located in downtown Reykjavik and has been in this location since 1937. It is a no bigger than 5 square meters, but has a side canopy area offering a second ordering line. There was a long line (to American standards) of people when we arrived, but as we were eating and standing around, the line tripled in length. The line moved quickly.

According to my research...You may notice that the vendor only fits two humans at the time and there is always a long queue waiting outside (Even if it’s below zero outside) but the queue still moves very fast. That’s because the employee gets paid by the hot dog. The more hot dogs, the more cash money in the bank. That explains the super fast (But very friendly) service!

borrowed photo

So what makes this hotdog so special? Most hotdogs in America are made from beef or a combination of beef and pork, or chicken or turkey. The Icelandic hotdog is comprised of a specific combination of beef, pork and lamb. A hotdog with everything includes: diced raw onions, homemade crispy onions, sweet mustard, ketchup and remoulade. The ketchup is actually made from apples instead of glucose, which makes it so nice and kinda sweet. Prior to yellow mustard making its way to Iceland, they used to use Skyr (similar to Greek Yogurt). Besides mayonnaise, remoulade infuses mustard, capers, pickles, herbs, and spices like turmeric, garlic, and paprika. The overflowing combination of ingredients makes a great addition to the savory taste of pylsur. The hotdogs are boiled for a short time giving them a slight snap when you bite into the tasty treat.

The hot dog stand of Baejarins Beztu Pylsur is a tourist destination in its own right. Thousands of locals and travelers flock to the area annually to taste their famous Icelandic pylsur.

I would have gladly eaten a second pulsar with everything for my lunch, but we had geocaches to find. Hubby did not eat a hotdog, or even want a taste. (He is like Bill Clinton when he visited the stand...mustard only.) If at all possible, I would certainly stop again on our last day in Reykjavik. It really was that good!

my pylsur

History of Pylsur

Pylsur may not be officially the national dish of Iceland, but many people consider it a hallmark of the country's cuisine. On top of being inexpensive and delicious, its colorful history makes it essential to the culture of Iceland even today.

Sausages of varying kinds have been popular in Iceland for a long time, and the Icelandic "bjúga" sausage has been eaten in Iceland since the Viking era.

However, putting sausage on a piece of bread with condiments and calling it a hot dog is something that has its origins in the early 20th century and came to Iceland via Denmark.

Because there was a lack of pig farming in Iceland during that time, but a lot of sheep, they started experimenting with using lamb meat in the hot dog with good results.

To start with, the hot dogs were served not on bread, but in a piece of paper. But in 1948, when restrictions on wheat production ceased, they started serving hot dogs in hot dog buns.

Iceland has produced local hot dogs and sausages since the early 1900s, with Slaturfelag Sudurlands leading the way. Also known as SS, Slaturfelag Sudurlands is the country's largest abattoir and remains the biggest pylsa producer today, with an 80% market share.

However, it wasn't until 1937 that hot dogs found their footing in the local food culture. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur opened this year and became the country's first hot dog stand. Since then, numerous hot dog stands have popped up in Reykjavik and other towns in Iceland.