Iceland’s National Dish: Hákarl – Anthony Bourdain once described it as “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” that he had ever eaten and Gordon Ramsay couldn’t even swallow it.
I ate four pieces of the hákarl, and to be fair I would say it was only the third worst thing I have ever tasted.
It smells strongly of ammonia (think cleaning chemical concentrations) and… well… a vaginal yeast infection left untreated for months.
The brenevin was not enough to wash the taste away and I resorted to eating a whole lime.
I experienced a sort of high within minutes of my last bite that lasted for several hours and left me feeling vigerous and wakeful late in to the night. I spoke with some locals and they confirmed that this is indeed a thing, I assume it’s related to the fight or flight response as this food product is a literal assault on the senses.