Hákarl
Ring Road West, IS
Hákarl or kæstur hákarl (Icelandic for "fermented shark") is a food from Iceland. It is a Greenland or basking shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months. Hákarl is an acquired taste[citation needed] and has a very particular ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste, similar to very strong cheese slathered in ammonia.
Hákarl is served as part of a þorramatur, a selection of traditional Icelandic food served at þorrablót in midwinter. Hákarl is, however, readily available in Icelandic stores all year round and is eaten in all seasons.