Casu Marzu, Hákarl, Surströmming, Durian – we have written about these stinky foods but if you think we are done, you are wrong, very wrong! Let us today take you to Greenland and share with you the stinkiest food you can find in that country – the Kiviak. Today we are looking at rotten birds. Guess what? It is a delicacy among the Inuits. As far as the preparation goes, it takes a very long time to prepare this delicacy. So, let us not waste time any further and learn 15 interesting Kiviak facts.
Interesting Kiviak Facts: 1 – 15
1. Kiviak is prepared using sea birds and seals. The sea birds are known as Auk.
2. First a seal is killed and skinned in a way that a thick fat layer stays attached to the skin.
3. The properly cleaned skin is then sewn in form of a pillow case with a small opening at the top.
4. Once the bag is ready, about 500 dead Auks are put inside the skin bag. The birds are put inside without removing any part – not even the feathers.
5. Once the skin bag is full, the opening on the top is sealed by sewing it properly.
6. The entire baggage is then put under rock mounds and left there for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 18 month.
7. It is during this period that the dead birds start decomposing inside the skin bag.
8. The thick fat layer on the inside of the skin prevents any kind of bugs or maggots from developing on the dead birds.
9. The fat also works as a tenderizer. It makes the meat and bones of the dead birds extremely tender.
10. After the waiting period of 3 to 18 months is over, the skin is cut open to retrieve the birds.
11. People simply remove the feathers with ease and then eat the birds – the whole of them, including the bones.
12. Some people even simply bite off the heads of the birds and suck on all the juices that are formed inside the birds’ bodies.
13. This grotesque once used to be a primary survival food for the Inuits during the harsh winters when Greenland went completely dark with absolutely no sunlight. In absence of sunlight no farming was possible and not even the insects survived that could serve as survival food.
14. Today, Kiviak is no longer a survival dish because of technology intrusion but it definitely remains a specialty food during special occasion likes birthdays and even cultural events.
15. As far as Kiviak’s stink is concerned, it is eaten outside so that the house doesn’t keep stinking for weeks.
