7. Puffin Heart, Iceland
Puffins are adorable, stocky, short-winged and short-tailed birds known for their colorful beaks (which they shed after the mating season). Sometimes referred to as the ‘clown of the ocean’ or ‘sea parrot’, they hold a special place in the hearts of Icelanders.
Well, let me put that another way, the puffin’s heart holds a special in the stomachs of the Icelandic population as they have for many centuries. Iceland is home to one of the world’s largest colonies of puffins and ‘sky fishing’ is a sport that involves catching the low flying birds in a big net.
Sport is a rather generous term once you find out what they do once they catch these little birds. First, they break their necks, skin them and then eat the fresh heart raw while it’s still warm and beating.
This ‘sport’ mainly takes place on the Westman Islands where they are sustainably harvested to prevent them from going extinct.
The rest of the puffin doesn’t go to waste as it is often smoked, grilled or pan-fried. Its flavor is like a fishier version of chicken or duck.
