Iceland’s Smelly Shark Tradition: Would You Dare?

Hákarl: The Icelandic Shark Dish That Takes Months to Make

Why Icelanders bury a poisonous shark, dry it for months, and then serve it with a shot of schnapps

Some foods make you curious. Others make you hold your nose. Hákarl, Iceland's fermented shark, manages to do both at the same time.

I keep coming back to this dish because the story behind it is stranger than the smell. It starts with a fish you simply cannot eat fresh, and it ends with a national tradition that people line up to try, dare each other to swallow, and argue about at the dinner table. If you have ever wondered how a poisonous shark ended up on a plate, this is for you. Get comfortable, because there is a lot to unpack.

Meet the shark

Let's start with the animal itself, because it is remarkable.

The Greenland shark is one of the largest sharks in the world, with adults reaching around four to five meters, which is about 13 to 16 feet. It lives in some of the coldest water on the planet, from the Arctic down into the North Atlantic, and it likes to stay deep, often hundreds of meters below the surface. Its body is thick and heavy, with a short rounded snout, small eyes and surprisingly small fins.

It is also slow. Really slow. These sharks usually cruise at less than a mile an hour, which is roughly a gentle walk in slow motion. That slow pace turns out to be a big part of the story, and we will come back to it near the end.

Why the meat is poisonous when fresh

Here is the problem that makes hákarl so unusual. The meat of the Greenland shark is toxic to people.

The reason is chemistry. To survive in freezing water, the shark's body carries high levels of urea and a compound called trimethylamine oxide. These substances help the animal cope with the cold, and they do no harm to the shark. But if a person eats the fresh meat, they can get very sick, and if the meat is eaten in large amounts without being properly prepared, it can even be fatal.

So how did anyone decide it was food? Nobody can say for sure, and the history is a little foggy. The tradition is usually linked to the Viking age, when people in Iceland lived through long, dark winters with very little to eat. When a huge shark was caught, wasting it was not an option. People found a way to make the meat safe, and that method is still used today.

How hákarl is made

The traditional process is slow and patient, and it has not changed that much over the centuries.

First the shark is cleaned and the head and guts are removed. Then the meat is buried in a pit, usually in sand or gravel, and covered over. In the old days, stones were often placed on top to press the fluids out of the meat. It stays underground for several weeks while it ferments. During that time the toxic compounds slowly break down.

After the fermenting stage, the meat is dug up and cut into long strips. These are hung to dry in a special drying shed where the cold, windy air passes through. This stage takes a long time, usually around four to five months. A hard brown crust forms on the outside while the inside slowly cures.

When the hákarl is finally ready, the crust is cut away. What is left is pale, yellowish meat that gets chopped into small cubes, ready to be served.

Scientists have taken a close look at this process. In one small-scale study published in 2023, researchers followed shark meat through fermentation and drying. They found that the harmful compound trimethylamine oxide dropped to levels too low to measure within about five weeks. At the same time, the meat became much more alkaline, and ammonia-type compounds increased. The bacteria in the meat also changed in distinct stages as the fermentation went on. In plain words, the shark goes through a complete chemical transformation, and the smell is a direct result of it.

Two kinds of hákarl

If you ever visit Iceland and see hákarl for sale, you may notice it comes in more than one type. One is a chewy, reddish kind, and the other is whiter and often described as stronger. Which one you get depends on which part of the shark the meat comes from and how it was cured. Some people say one is milder, but many Icelanders will tell you the difference is mostly in how brave you are feeling that day.

What does it smell and taste like?

Everybody wants to know about the smell, so let's talk about it.

It is strong. The scent is rich in ammonia, and people often compare it to cleaning products or very ripe cheese. Some say it is like a public bathroom, and not a fresh one. If you open a container, you will know right away.

The taste surprises people, though. The texture is firm and chewy, a bit like hard cheese. The flavor is salty, fishy and sharp, with a long aftertaste that lingers in your mouth. Some people notice a deep, savory flavor underneath, a bit like very old cheese or other strongly fermented foods. Others never get past the first impression.

That is why hákarl is such a classic acquired taste. There is no middle ground. At almost every table, one person is laughing, one person is quietly chewing, and one person is looking for something to wash it down.

That something is usually brennivín, a clear Icelandic schnapps flavored with caraway. The name means "burning wine," and it has a reputation for being strong. Together, the shark and the schnapps are a classic pair.

Hákarl and the Icelandic table

Today, you can buy hákarl in grocery stores all across Iceland, and it is available all year round. But it is most famous as part of Þorrablót, the midwinter festival where families, friends and communities gather to eat traditional food.

The foods served at Þorrablót are a tribute to the old days, when people preserved everything they could to survive the winter by drying, pickling, curing or fermenting it. Along with hákarl, the table can include things like cooked and pressed sheep's head and other old-fashioned dishes. Not everything on the table is gentle, and that is part of the fun. A visitor at a Þorrablót is almost always handed a toothpick and a cube of shark with a big smile.

For many Icelanders, this is not about pushing visitors. It is about sharing something that connects them to their grandparents and great-grandparents. The same winter that taught people to ferment a shark also taught them to stay together.

How to try it, if you are curious

If a trip to Iceland is in your future, or you come across hákarl somewhere else, here is some practical advice.

First, buy it from a trusted source. Hákarl that has not been prepared properly can make you ill, so it is important to choose a respected producer. One well-known place is the Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland. It is a family-run place where you can see how the shark is prepared, learn about its history, and taste it on the spot.

Second, start small. One cube is plenty for a first try. Icelanders usually pick it up with a toothpick and eat it in a single bite.

Third, have a drink ready. Brennivín is the traditional partner, but water works too if you want to be safe.

Fourth, take your time chewing. The flavor changes as you go, and it is only after a few seconds that you can tell whether you like it or not.

And finally, please do not try to make hákarl at home. It is a traditional craft that depends on the right shark, the right conditions and a lot of experience. The Greenland shark is also a species that needs careful protection, which brings us to the next part.

A few myths and facts

Because hákarl has such a wild reputation, a lot of stories have grown around it. Here are a few.

Myth: It is simply rotten shark. Fact: Technically it is fermented and dried, not just left to spoil. The process is what makes the meat safe to eat, and it takes months.

Myth: It is dangerous to eat. Fact: Fresh Greenland shark meat is toxic, but properly prepared hákarl is a traditional food that Icelanders have eaten for generations. The danger comes from poorly prepared meat, which is why a trusted source matters.

Myth: Everyone in Iceland loves it. Fact: Plenty of Icelanders will tell you it is not their favorite. It is more of a tradition than a daily snack, and many people eat it only at special times of the year.

Myth: It tastes like fish. Fact: Well, yes and no. There is a fishy side to it, but the ammonia and the sharpness make it unlike any fish dish most people have eaten.

The shark's side of the story

There is one more part of this that I find fascinating, and it is about the shark itself.

For a long time, scientists did not know how old Greenland sharks could get, because sharks do not have bones that can be used to measure their age. In 2016, a team of researchers found a clever way around this. They studied the lenses of the sharks' eyes and also used traces of radiation left in the environment by nuclear testing in the 1960s. Their results were astonishing. The oldest shark they studied was estimated to be about 400 years old, and later estimates suggest that these animals can live for at least 270 years and possibly more than 500.

That makes the Greenland shark one of the longest-living vertebrates on Earth. Even more surprising, researchers believe these sharks do not become ready to reproduce until they are around a hundred years old.

That is why conservation groups take the species seriously. An animal that grows this slowly cannot recover quickly if too many are taken, and sharks are also caught accidentally in fishing nets. Scientists are still learning how these sharks live, and the first full genome of the species was only published in 2024.

So when someone offers you a cube of hákarl, you may be looking at a piece of an animal that was alive before anyone you know was born. It is worth keeping that in mind and treating the dish with a little respect.

Why this strange dish matters

Hákarl may not be the tastiest food in the world, and I doubt it will ever top a list of favorites. But it is one of those dishes that tells you something about people.

It tells you that in a cold, hard place, people did not give up when they found something that looked impossible to eat. They tested, waited and worked out a process that took months. It tells you that food is more than flavor. It can be memory, survival and belonging all in one bite.

If you enjoy stories like this, you will find plenty more in the world of fermented foods. Almost every culture has a dish that smells strong, tastes strange, and is loved fiercely by the people who grew up with it. They are all worth learning about, even if you never plan to eat them.

Your turn

Would you take the toothpick? And what is the strangest food you have ever tried, or the one you could never bring yourself to taste? I would love to read your stories in the comments, so please share them below.