The farmstead at Bjarnarhöfn is the region’s leading producer of ³óá°ì²¹°ù±ô (fermented shark meat), a traditional Icelandic dish. The museum has exhibits on the history of this culinary curiosity, along with the family's fishing boats and processing tools. A video explains the butchering and fermenting procedure.
Find the museum off Rte 54 on a turnout from Rte 577, on the fjordside, northeastern edge of Bjarnarhafnarfjall (575m).
Greenland shark, which is used to make ³óá°ì²¹°ù±ô, is poisonous if eaten fresh; fermentation neutralises the toxin. Note that Greenland shark is classified as near threatened, and is the longest-living vertebrate on the planet, with some living over 500 years.
Each visit to the museum comes with a bracing nibble of ³óá°ì²¹°ù±ô, accompanied by BrennivÃn (aka 'black death') schnapps. Ask about the drying house out the back. You might find hundreds of dangling shark slices drying, the last step in the process.
