The official Icelandic national schnapps is not unlike Hobbes’ natural state of mankind: nasty, brutish and short.
Having a national beverage seems to be de rigeur for small countries who want to sell stuff to tourists maintain their cultural identity. Iceland is no exception.
The local tipple is called “Brennivín”, an ancient Icelandic word that translates as “we see a really bad headache in your future”.
The way the bottle’s label manages to clearly convey this exact prediction can either be attributed to a triumph of graphic design or the fact that the contents of the bottle used to be produced by those wacky and fun-loving guys over at the National Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
But should your lifestyle happen to be less morbid, depressive and/or unwholesome, just relax — you can now get the new and improved “cute version” with the bottle wearing an actual Icelandic sweater. (According to rumour, a Hello Kitty version is in the works.)
So what kind of person drinks Brennivín? Well, according to some guy who really likes freeze-framing Quentin Tarantino movies, Brennivín is what Kill Bill’s Budd uses to ease the pain. Apparently there also exists an outtake where Michael Madsen explains the subtleties of the drink to Darryl Hannah. (Time for the Icelandic Tourist Board to organize a break-in at QT’s editing room, we think.)
Iceland’s signature beverage may have fallen out of favour with the local drinking classes, but fear not. Our research shows that tourists seem to enjoy documenting its consumption.
Our recommendation: Some people like to pretend you have to be some kind of reality TV show contestant to drink Brennivín. It’s really not that bad. Just keep it as close to zero degrees Celsius as you can, and you’ll be fine. Drunk yes, but otherwise fine.
Read all about the other Cultural Learnings of Iceland to Make Benefit the World: Skyr, Kókómjólk, Lýsi, Appelsín and the mysterious case of the Blue Ópal.
3 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] Cultural Learnings of Iceland, Part 6: Brennivín [...]
[...] (Not that we’d mind of course — you’re always welcome to stop by for a sip of Brennvín.) [...]
[...] Little Gingerbread House on the Prairie — Laura Ingalls Wilder’s gingerbread recipe. Bubbe Wendy’s Hannukah Latkes – Eric R. Trinidad blogs about Bubbe (Grandma) Wendy’s holiday potato pancakes. A very American recipe. The latke should not be confused with the latkcho. Christmas Cookies of the World– Recipes from many countries. St. Stephen’s Horns (Podkovy) – Crescent-shaped pastries baked on St. Stephen’s Day (December 26th) in Poland and other Slavic countries. Ireland celebrates the day with a traditional stew. Iceland’s Winter Feasts – Laufabrauð (Leaf-bread), a fried wafer incised with intricate leaf patterns, is served during Advent with smoked lamb (hangikjöt), butter, red cabbage and peas, and washed down with Jólabland (a kind of “shandy” made with fizzy orange soda and ale or malt beer). You can even get ready-mixed Jólabland these days. On December 23rd, Iceland celebrates native-born Saint Thorlakur during Þorláksmessa (Mass of St. Thorlák) with a noon meal of kæst skata, aged or fermented (“rotten”) skate, (meat of the muscular “wings” is preferred). Þorrablót, a pre-Christian midwinter holiday in January and February, features traditional meals of fermented shark meat, Harðfiskur (dried fish snacks), Hrútspungar (sheep’s testicles), Hvalspik (whale blubber), Selshreifar (seal flippers), Sviðasulta (mutton headcheese), Magálar (smoked sheep’s bellies), Svið (singed sheep’s heads), Brennivín (caraway-flavored potato schnapps), and so on. The Christmas meal is much more conventional, just the usual hangikjöt, Steiktar Rjúpur (fried ptarmigan), lamb roast, goose, Hamborgarhryggur (smoked pork rib roast), rice pudding, and cookies. And don’t forget the Brennivín. Eggnog History — Mark Anderson has a brief account; so does Nanna Rognvaldardottir. Spiced wine or ale is also a seasonal tradition. Hangover Cures – Julia Watson has a few suggestions. Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length. [...]
Post a Comment