North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland [A Cookbook]

This book includes far more than Chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason's recipes for his inventive and creatively beautiful dishes. This book is also a tour of Iceland, mostly gastronomic, and its history. As far as the cookbook part goes, the recipes are amazing, but in truth, there are few that I will even attempt to make. The skyr? Definitely, and perhaps a few more. But most of the recipes are either too dependent on molecular gastronomic techniques or on ingredients that are either too difficult or too expensive to source if you are not in Iceland. Even if you are in Iceland, the ingredients can be terribly expensive. That said, reading recipes that are worthy of a Michelin star is an adventure unto its own. These recipes are not Icelandic comfort food; there is no plokkfiskur (as delicious as that can be) here. This is Icelandic food taken to its limit. The interviews with the farmers and food producers who live and work in the often unforgiving landscape, seascape and harsh climate swings that define Iceland, is a book unto itself. The birch harvester/caretaker, the hardfiskur producer, the dairy farmers, the rugbraud bakers (and the underground pit ovens!), the greenhouses without which Iceland would have little fresh produce, the incredible sustainability, and, most of all, the love and respect that Icelanders have for their land and their traditions. If you have never visited Iceland, this book may get you thinking about going. If you have visited Iceland, this book will make you long to go back.

I found this book through the Háafell goat farm fundraiser last year. It was offered as part of a perk I could neither afford, nor reasonably claim, since I haven't the means to get to Iceland. So I bought this book separately. In addition to some amazing recipes, the book also paints a picture of Icelandic cultural history. There's a lot of fish in this book, but I like fish, so it's a good fit. It's also a restaurant cook book. It doesn't give you recipes for serving a table of eight. What you see on them cover is what you can expect from the inside. You definitely need to already know how to cook, and how to look at a recipe and modify it. These are that kind of recipes I love. I don't have time to spend eight hours preparing a sauce or letting something ferment for days, but I can look at what's in the sauce and know how to get a cheap, similar result in twenty minutes. If that's the kind of person you are in the kitchen, this is a great book full of ideas.

bought this for a friend for a christmas gift, she loves it and i can’t wait for her to cook me a meal from it

I had visited Iceland last year and was looking forward to the release of this book. It is a lovely book to read and refer to. However, I am not a gourmet cook and will probably never make any of these recipes but I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy reading this cookbook.

I adore this cookbook which has fascinating stories about Iceland and the purveyors of food stuffs throughout the country. I made multiple recipes from this book for a Nordic supper party and everyone loved them. These are recipes for a very experienced cook with lots of time to invest in making the complex, multi-layered recipes that have many, many components in them. For a dinner party of 10, I need the help of 2 other people to assemble each dish because each plate had SO many things on it. Of all the recipes, the cover recipes was the most delicious. Be prepared to spend hours in the kitchen and considerable money to source the ingredients.

The cookbook is an insight into the best of Icelandic dining. Some of the recipes maybe shocking to those of us in the west. It will answer the question, how a nation can survive on a volcanic landmass. It does make me proud to be an Icelandic descendant And want to visit Iceland again and eat at the Dan restaurant.

Excellent cookbook with unique recipe. This is intended for a more advanced cook, and provided this chef with plenty of dog-eared pages for experimentation. I was afraid that the ingredients would be unattainable, but was surprised that most were common, or at least substitutable. The photography is luscious bucking the trend of over-exposed images. The book is well formatted for easy use, and nice interviews with purveyors. Unlike most books I've bought this season, this one actually has something to offer me that's new, interesting, and clearly the voice of the chef.

I love this cookbook. Not only are the recipes fantastic, but the pictures are incredible! I love cookbooks that show you a picture for each recipe and this book doesn't disappoint! Some of the recipes are a little time consuming but I feel like it helps challenge my skills and helps with cooking technique. The recipes are pretty original and unique which adds to it's appeal! I would definitely buy more books from this author!

Excellent text, illustrations and recipes. As a coffee table book as well as a fine food book, this transported me back to the amazing food, peoples, culture and landscape I experienced in Iceland.

This book is awesome and so many things to learn about Nordic cuisine.

I loved the photos of Iceland in the book. The recipes are interesting although there could be a problem getting some the ingredients. However some of them you could order from Iceland. My daughter's comment makes a lovely coffee table book. I am please with it and I will try out some of the recipes and adapt them when you can't get the right ingredients.

Ich war mir nicht ganz sicher, welche Bewertung ich hier geben soll. Das erste Exemplar, das ich erhalten habe, war in einem ziemlich ramponierten Zustand und ging zurück. Das zweite Exemplar war dann in Ordnung. Das Buch selbst finde ich sehr schön. Neben vielen Rezepten gibt es immer wieder Interviews mit Isländern, die z.B. in der Landwirtschaft arbeiten und die in den Rezepten verwendeten Zutaten produzieren. Dazu gibt es neben Bildern der Gerichte auch noch isländische Landschaftsfotos. Das wichtigste an einem Kochbuch sind aber natürlich die Rezepte. Hier wird eine großes Spektrum abgedeckt, allerdings sollte man sich bewusst sein, dass hier ein Restaurantkoch auf recht hohem Niveau schreibt bzw. kocht. Das heißt, es ist nicht immer möglich, alle Zutaten aufzutreiben - vor allem, wenn man nicht in Island lebt. Und an der ein oder anderen Stelle sollte man die Rezepte für den Hausgebrauch etwas vereinfachen. Das Buch liefert aber auf jeden Fall jede Menge Ideen und gute Rezepte. Und dazu noch etwas Hintergrundwissen über Island, die Küche und die Lebensweise. Von daher habe ich mich dann am Ende doch für 5 Sterne entschieden und kann das Buch ganz klar empfehlen.

Great book