Skerpikjøt (), a type of wind-dried
mutton
Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...
, is a common food of the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
.
[Jóan Pauli Joensen, "Færøsk madkultur: En oversigt"]
, Granskingar ráðið, The Faroese Research Council. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
Production
The mutton, usually in the form of
shanks or legs (''kjógv'' or ''bógv'' in Faroese, depending on which leg it is), is allowed to hang in a so-called ''hjallur'', a drying shed ventilated by the wind, for five to nine months, with the process beginning in the colder fall months between September and October. It has a very strong smell, which may upset those who are not accustomed to it.
The hanging process covers three stages, or ''hjeldene.'' Each causing the meat to have different consistencies, smells and tastes.
* The first, ''visnaður'', occurs after just a few days, but
lamb and mutton
Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...
are not eaten after such a short period.
* The second stage, ''ræstur'', is of less predictable length, and provides dried meat suitable for eating without cooking.
* In reaching the final stage, ''turrur'', cold weather can on occasion virtually eliminate the typical smell with a resulting weakening of taste. If, however, the weather is warm and wet during the first period, the fermentation process can cause the meat to decay, giving it too strong a taste.
There can therefore be variations in taste from year to year, but this is not usually a problem. A much more serious problem is infestation by flies. For this reason, the drying sheds used to be placed next to streams or the sea in order to diminish the arrival of flies.
Consumption
When the ''skerpikjøt'' is ready, it is cut into thin slices and eaten on rye bread in the form of an open faced sandwich.
"Kjøt"
. Imgur.com. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
See also
* Reestit mutton, a similar salted mutton dish from Shetland
Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
* List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
* List of lamb dishes
This is a list of the popular lamb and mutton dishes and foods worldwide. Lamb and mutton are terms for the meat of domestic sheep (species ''Ovis aries'') at different ages. A sheep in its first year is called a lamb, and its meat is also called ...
*
References
Faroese cuisine
Dried meat
Lamb dishes
{{Meat-stub