Minke whale a hot item in Iceland restaurants
If you’ll be dining at a sushi restaurant tonight, here are a couple items you won’t find on the menu: minke whale sashimi with a shot of ginger tea, or whale seviche, thinly sliced, marinated in lime juice and lemon grass.
That is, unless you happen to be dining at the Lobster House in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Iceland resumed limited hunting of minke whales in 2006, after a 20-year ban, and some restaurateurs are seeking creative ways to revive a taste for whale meat, according to a story in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal.
At a seafood cafe popular among tourists and locals, for example, “Moby Dick on a Stick” brochettes are selling for $15.
Don’t expect the younger generation to bite, though. Sindri Svensson, an 11-year-old toting a skateboard, told the WSJ: “I don’t think any kid will eat whale meat. I once tried salted whale fat and almost threw up.”
Such a gag response would undoubtedly be shared by those opposing any type of whale hunts.
--Pete Thomas
Credit: Associated Press
Caption: Norwegian fishermen haul aboard an 11,000-pound minke whale in 2006. Norway is another nation that hunts minkes.
