Hangikjot is Icelandic lamb that has been salted, then smoked over birch wood or dried sheep dung. Served sliced cold on rugbraud or warm with a white sauce, potato and peas, it is the centrepiece of every Icelandic Christmas table.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Smoking lamb over birch or tad (dried sheep dung) preserved the autumn slaughter through Iceland's winters from the settlement era onward. By the 19th century hangikjot had become the Christmas Eve main course in nearly every household, served warm on the holiday and cold on rye for the rest of December. Matur og Drykkur built its modern reputation on a traditional cold-served hangikjot plate.
Tip from the editors. Save the cooking liquor; it makes a smoky base for plokkfiskur or kjotsupa for the rest of the holiday week.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Family-run Icelandic kitchen across from Hallgrimskirkja on Lokastigur serving meat soup, fermented shark and rye-bread ice cream from 8am to 10pm daily.
Why locals love it: Most visitors photograph Hallgrimskirkja and leave, missing the small cafe opposite that serves the city's most accessible traditional Icelandic plates.
Tip: The easiest place to try rye bread with mashed fish and rye-bread ice cream. Walk-in only.
Matur og Drykkur revives old Icelandic recipes in a former salt-fish factory at Grandi, named for a classic cookbook and Michelin Guide listed in Reykjavik.
Signature: Cod head, Old Icelandic recipes
Order: The slow-cooked cod head, the dish that put the kitchen on the map.
Tip: It shares the building with the Saga Museum down at the old harbour. Open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner.
Kolaportid fills the old customs house on Tryggvagata each weekend, Reykjavik's flea market where food stalls sell fermented shark, dried fish and rye bread.
Tip: This is the easiest place to try hakarl fermented shark and harkfiskur dried fish. Weekends only, cash helps.
Salka Valka on Skolavordustigur runs a meat-free, half-vegan kitchen of soups, salads and sandwiches, a cheap healthy Reykjavik option a few doors below.
Try: Vegetarian and vegan plates
Tip: Vegan options daily and a small but filling lunch menu. Bagels and soups are the value picks.
More cities are in research. Want hangikjot (smoked icelandic lamb) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.