Traditional Greenlandic food

Simple and easy preparation
Traditional Greenlandic food consists of seasonal ingredients cooked in a simple manner. A classic dish is a soup dish called ‘suaasat’, which is based on fish, bird or meat from seal, whale or reindeer. The soup is rich and nourishing. Just enough rice is added to make the soup smooth, as well as onions and potatoes. No spices other than salt and pepper provide the finishing touch, and the soup is served until everyone is full. Tassa mamaq! – which means “It tastes good” in Greenlandic.

Greenlandic food

Greenlandic provisions
A favourite lunch and a popular snack is dried cod and whale accompanied by whale blubber. Other favourites include dried ‘ammassat’ (a small herring-like fish in the salmon family called capelin), dried reindeer meat and whale skin with blubber, called ‘mattak’, which is a well-loved delicacy amongst the local population. And of course crowberries and blueberries in the autumn. These are used to a great extent both to accompany Greenlandic provisions and in desserts and cakes.

Food in the fells
Forget about a white tablecloth and napkins, because when Greenlandic food is served in the summer, it is often in the fells under open skies. Funnily enough, this is where food tastes best. Freshly caught cod cooked over an open fire and eaten from a flat stone is a fantastic dish, and this dish and several meat dishes tempt many families to eat out in the great outdoors during the summer months.

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