Image via Complex Original
America has long been considered a melting pot. So many forces from so many different cultures interact in the good U.S. of A. that it is easy to forget what came from where. From time to time, wonderful countries get lost in the shuffle; we Americans forget the great contributions that other states have made toward making our union more perfect. Such is the case with Iceland. Iceland has given America some amazing things over the years, and all we’ve given them in return is a passing mention in Mighty Ducks 2. Today we would like to do what little we can to right that wrong and shout out some of the spectacular things that have come to us by way-kjavik of Reykjavik. Here are The 10 Best Exports From Iceland.
Björk
Many Americans best remember Björk for the swan dress she wore to the Academy Awards in 2001. Though this was certainly a dope dress, Björk has offered so much more to American culture over the years than just providing Joan Rivers with much needed red carpet fodder. Björk is best known as a singer-songwriter. She started her career as part of the band The Sugar Cubes, which formed in 1986, and went on to gain wider acclaim when she launched her solo career in 1993. Though many people are likely most familiar with her 1995 hit, “It’s Oh So Quiet,” Björk has released eight studio albums over the years. Björk has had an impact on the culture beyond music, as she has been has worked in other forms (including with Lars Von Trier on Dancer in the Dark for which she was critically lauded) and has gone on to become an advocate for the protection of Icelandic natural resources.
The Name "Gunnar"
There simply weren’t enough tough names floating around in America. We are great at using and abusing wussy names state side. For god’s sake, we are the country that brought you Melvin, and now we are going around naming boys Blair. Sure, we already had names like Buck and Ryker making their macho mark on American culture, but Gunnar has been a welcome addition to the American baby name palette and we have Iceland (well, technically the entirety of Norse culture, but Iceland gets a substantial credit) to thank for it.
Liquor
You could do a lot worse than drawing on Icelandic spirits to spice up your whiskey and rum heavy liquor cabinet. Brennevin, a traditional Icelandic unsweetened schnapps, has long been an underground U.S. favorite. Though the liquor is nicknamed “The Black Death,” it still has its American fans. Everyone should try Brennevin once, and if possible, do so with the traditional side of shark. More recently, other Icelandic liquors have been making a splash on the American bar scene. Reyka, a vodka, and Floki, a whiskey, are both showing American liquor lovers what Nordic spirits can do.
Icelandic liquors have a number of advantages over competitors from other countries thanks to environment and craftsmanship. For example, Reyka uses a filtration process that includes lava rocks and natural glacier water. This process takes place at a distillery located in a remote area outside of Reykjavik where the C02 levels are actually falling. Reyka is distilled using a Carter-Head still. The Carter-Head still’s high levels of copper make it an ideal vodka still, yet Reyka is the only vodka in the world distilled using the Carter-Head process.
Lamb
Whole Foods has been pushing Icelandic lamb hard in recent years. A large reason for this is that Icelandic lamb already jives well with the Whole Foods ethos. Pesticides and herbicides aren’t often used in Iceland and strict agricultural regulations there ensure high quality meat. The key word the Icelandic lamb interest is eager to get Americans concerned with is “sustainability.” The argument is that since Icelandic sheep herding has remained largely unchanged since the time of the Vikings, Iceland has been sustainable since 874. Whether or not you love their lamb, you definitely have to give them points for longevity.
North of The Wall
Jon Snow may know nothing, but good on him for hanging out in Iceland with his bae as much as possible before they had that unfortunate parting of ways. The land beyond The Wall is located in Iceland because showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff felt that Iceland looked more otherworldly than anything CGI could muster. The next logical question is, “Can I take a tour of the Icelandic Game of Thrones locations?” Really, you knew the answer to that question before you asked it. If you’re trying to re-enact Jon Snow X Ygritte with your girl—and we mean that in the “remember that time in the cave” sense, not the “You know nothing John Snow” arrow-through-the-neck sense—Icelandic tourism companies are happy to oblige your George R.R. Martin tinged fetishes for a price.
Icelandic Hot Dogs
Pylsur, Icelandic hot dogs, basically kick the American hot dog’s ass. This may be hard for you baseball loving, apple pie eating patriots to hear, but sorry not sorry, it is a fact. One of the reasons that Icelandic hot dogs are better is that they have lamb in them, which beats the pork-beef-and-question-mark ingredients found in American dogs. Add their sweet brown mustard (pylsusinnep) and crunchy deep-fried onions and there is no way your standard frank with ketchup and yellow mustard could hope to compete. You will likely enjoy the Icelandic dog, should you ever be lucky enough to sample one. If you don’t like it, however, keep it to yourself, as the hot dog is a matter of Icelandic pride. A pylsur cart in Reykjavik was named best hot dog cart in Europe and apparently this is a distinction of extreme importance to a great many Icelander.
Risk Strategy
This may have little to nothing to do with Iceland itself, but we should take a moment to acknowledge how important Iceland is to Risk board game strategy. Without Iceland’s blue dot blocking the path from North America, it would be almost impossible to hold Europe. Things are bad enough on the Eastern flank, with Ukraine and Southern Europe offering about as many ways in as your aunt after a few too many Pinot Grigios. Thank you Iceland, for making things simple. It is our hope that the United States can some day make a board game easier for you. We’ve gotten pretty good at Monopoly lately, so let us know if you need anything.
The Icelandic Sagas
Iceland is a damned literate country. A recent study found that one in ten Icelanders will publish something in their life time. That’s a higher percentage that your college fiction class. The bookishness of this dark, cold country (coincidence, I think not) is nothing new. The Icelandic Sagas remain one of the most important literary exports in world history. The Sagas, written sometime in the 1200s stand next to Beowulf, The Bible, and The Canterbury Tales, as one of the most important early literary texts. Few historical texts have had anywhere near the influence of the Sagas, which began to make their mark on literary history shortly after publication and have continued to have an impact on prominent modern authors including J.R.R. Tolkien as well as countless others. A number of factors make the Sagas markedly different from other works that appeared during this period. Perhaps most notably, the author of the Sagas was speaking to the relatively recent birth of the Icelandic nation, as the country didn’t exist until 900 A.D. when Nordic settlers arrived in search of farmland. Also, while many countries in Europe were monarchies, Iceland was a constitutional republic from its founding until 1262 when it came under the protection of the crown of Norway.
Skyr
Greek yogurt is quickly replacing traditional yogurt as the breakfast of choice among yoga teachers and college co-eds (and, full disclosure, yours truly), but some Icelanders believe that Skyr (technically a cheese, but don’t let that turn you off) may some day soon become the hot International yogurt-like dish of choice. Food blogs are following suit, and it has become just as important for them to publish a thinkpiece interrogating Skyr’s Greek yogurt replacement potential as it has for them to run a take down of Guy Fieri’s restaurant. Yep, you guessed it: there is even an artisanal skyr company in New York City, which is the true indication that skyr has arrived.
Vikings
Despite having not been around for a minute, and by a minute we mean since the eleventh century, (but who’s counting?) Vikings may currently have a bigger impact on American pop culture than ever before. History Channel’s Vikings is riding high on critical acclaim and female admiration for Scandinavian warrior bods. The Minnesota Vikings are threatening to not suck this year, and female Vikings remain a strong stereotype in the opera scene. Yes, Vikings have long caught the American popular imagination and that doesn’t show signs of abating any time soon. Who knows? With all the negative press that Columbus has been getting and the mounting evidence that Vikings actually discovered America, we may soon see post offices closing in honor of Leif Eriksson on the second Monday of October.