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Iceland in medieval times was a desperately poor place, and the cuisine reflects it. Fermented shark or seal flippers cured in lactic acid, anyone?
I’m from Iceland, but not very knowledgeable about medieval Iceland (let alone medieval Icelandic diet), however, I was always under the impression that dairy played a massive role in people’s average day diet. Particularly sheep and goat milk which was fermented into cheese, skyr, kefir, etc. Bread and beer was brewed just like in the rest of Europe (excluding Norse Greenland). Rich farms had cows off course.
Meat and fish was hardly ever consumed, mostly around the holidays, but otherwise preserved and consumed in tiny portions.
I was also under the impression that Þorri is a relatively recent holiday (at least in its reincarnated form) being reintroduced in like the 19th century. But I will give you that the 19th century was probably one of the hardest and one of the more impoverished centuries in the history of Iceland.
The holiday is indeed an invented tradition. The foods it celebrates are not, although things like cured seal flippers were never mainstream cuisine.
Where does the lactic acid come from?
Anyway, more info https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/this-aint-yo-mommas-... which is pretty interesting (and gross)
It's an acquired taste. To me, fermented fish and lactic acid meats are a delicious treat.
That's a common pattern.
Dried fish 6 ways! Decadence
Like having two hungry man dinners.