Flatkaka (, lit. "flat cake") or flatbrauð (, lit. "flat bread") is an Icelandic unleavened

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

flatbread A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...

. ''Flatkaka'' is soft, round, thin and dark with a characteristic pattern from the pan. Traditionally, ''flatkaka'' was baked on hot stones or straight on the embers of the fire, later on small but heavy

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

frying pans, and today, when making ''flatkaka'' at home, people sometimes bake them directly on an electric hot plate to get the desired result. There usually is a difference between home-made ''flatkaka'' and the varieties sold in stores, the latter being somewhat thicker and dryer because of added

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

flour. It is assumed that the Icelandic tradition of baking flatbread goes back to the

settlement of Iceland The settlement of Iceland ( ) is generally believed to have begun in the second half of the ninth century, when Norsemen, Norse settlers migrated across the North Atlantic. The reasons for the migration are uncertain: later in the Middle Ages Icel ...

in the 9th century. Historically, Iceland moss (''Cetraria islandica'') was sometimes used as a supplement because of a lack of grain on the island. ''Flatkaka'' is usually served cut into halves or quarters, with a topping of

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...

pâté Pâté ( , , ) is a forcemeat. Originally, the dish was cooked in a pastry case; in more recent times it is more usually cooked without pastry in a terrine. Various ingredients are used, which may include meat from pork, poultry, fish or bee ...

, with ''

hangikjöt Hangikjöt (; lit. "hung meat") is a traditional festive food in Iceland, served at Christmas. Etymology and history This Icelandic smoked lamb, mutton, or horse meat is usually boiled and served either hot or cold in slices, traditionally w ...

'', smoked salmon or even

pickled herring Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or Curing (food preservation), curing. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing (food preservation), curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; th ...

References

Icelandic cuisine Flatbreads Icelandic breads {{Bread-stub

See also

References