New Season

Premieres Monday
September 22nd 9PM ET

Iceland

Iceland

For this episode of Pressure Cook, Ralph Pagano is sent to Iceland - one of Europe's hottest travel destinations with a very chilly name. Nowhere on Earth are the forces of nature more evident than here, and Ralph gets the full experience. Ralph swings over cliffs to collect eggs, parties with fisherman and goes from cooking for local hot spot Vox to cooking in a really hot spot: the middle of a volcano.

Did You Know?

  • Hakarl:
    • Hakarl has an extremely high ammonia content making it smell very similar to floor cleaners
    • Hakarl is buried in sand and gravel for three to six months
    • Hakarl can be left anywhere, because even carrion birds won't touch it
  • Only about 21% of the land can handle vegetation
  • Guillemots lay their eggs on rocky cliffs. The patterns on the eggshells are like fingerprints; no two are alike.
  • Fish products account for 2/3’s of Iceland's exports
  • "Pooling" is basting in a pan which imparts flavor and continues the cooking process.
  • Westman Islands:
    • The inhabitants make up 1.5% of the population and it represents approximately 10% of the GNP for fishing.
    • The Westman Islands are actually 15 islands, but only one is inhabited.
    • The Islands are the only part[s] of Iceland to have endured violent foreign invasion - by the English in the 15th century and by the Turkish in 1627.
    • The puffin bird colony on the Islands is the largest in the world.
  • Despite the distinctly red yoke, the Guillemots eggs otherwise taste, cook and eat the same as typical chicken eggs
  • The 1973 lava flow lasted 6 months and increased the size of the island by 20%.
  • Despite common thought, no taste of sulfur transfers from the volcano to the bread.

Restaurants

Hotels

  • Westman Island[s]
    • Hotel Thorshamar

Locations

  • Vilberg Bakery

Tourism