The Special Ingredient That Puts Icelandic Hot Dogs In A League Of Their Own

We're all familiar with French, German, and Italian food — even some Swedish food, thanks to Ikea. (I only go there for the restaurant. In my mind, Ikea is a furniture-themed eatery at the heart of an annoying escape room.) When it comes to Icelandic cuisine, however, most of us are on less familiar ground. Sure, there's skyr (Iceland's answer to Greek yogurt) and there's also hákarl, the fermented shark meat Anthony Bourdain swore he'd never eat again after trying it just the once. But did you know many consider Iceland to have the world's best hot dogs? No, it's not something in the water; but it may well be in the meat. While American hot dogs are often made with beef, pork, or chicken, Icelandic pylsur (as hot dogs are known there) include beef, pork, and lamb.

Iceland's not adding lamb to its hot dogs just to be bougie, even if it is one of the world's most expensive countries. When hot dogs were originally introduced a century or so ago, they came from Denmark and were primarily pork-based, which checks out since Denmark to this day is a leader in global swine production. Iceland, however, has more sheep than people, and as one Redditor quipped, "The hot dogs are made with nuisance sheep. It's a public service to eat them."

Lamb in the meat mixture is only part of what makes Icelandic hot dogs so memorable. They're also heavily smoked, to the point where the flavor famously lingers in your mouth long after the hot dog's been eaten. (Brushing your teeth won't get rid of the aftertaste, but drinking coffee or eating an apple is supposed to help.) They're sometimes simmered in Icelandic lager, as well, a type of beer which isn't something you'll often find on the shelves of an American liquor store. (A certain amount is imported but you'll pay a premium to order it online.)

Pylsur are topped with a selection of condiments which are somewhat different from the mustard and ketchup baseline we're familiar with in the United States. Both mustard and ketchup are used in Iceland, but Iceland's version of the former, pylsusinnep, is brown and tastes much sweeter than any American mustard I've tried. It's somewhat similar to Senap mild mustard (which you can buy at Ikea, turns out). 

As for tómatsósa, it may look like ketchup, but it's made with apples as well as tomatoes. Other toppings include remoulade sauce and two types of onions, fresh and fried. If you want a hot dog with all five toppings, the way to order it in Iceland would be to ask for ein með öllu, which means one with everything. It may or may not be to your liking (not everyone agrees that pylsur are as amazing as they say), but it will certainly be unlike any other hot dog you've tried.