Hi, I am Chef Zara. In this post, I will guide you through the Icelandic Cookbooks.
I love discovering new food and cooking with friends and family. One of the most common questions that I often get is for cookbook recommendations. I have created this guide for friends, family, and new friends alike. I hope that you enjoy our site.
Traditional Icelandic Recipes: Inspiring traditions and vibrant Culture! ❄
Iceland’s breathtaking natural beauty is well known, from its spectacular waterfalls crashing down mountains to the vivid, colorful, dancing auroras dazzling the Arctic sky, and the list just goes on. But when it comes to food, many people have no idea what to anticipate. So what is Icelandic cuisine? Like most countries in the Nordic region, Icelandic cooking is heavily influenced by the ingredients that surround it. Meat from deer, boars, pigeons, pheasants, and fresh fish and crustaceans from the cold waters of the North Atlantic is later enhanced with flavors originating from generations-old preservation processes such as pickling, drying, and smoking. Icelandic cuisine is pure and fresh, and here are 10 ten well-curated Icelandic cookbooks to help you get acquainted with this gorgeous country’s equally beautiful cuisine.
LOOK AT THIS 👇 our list of the TOP 10 Icelandic Cookbooks!
1. Icelandic Food and Cookery
Review 📖
Icelandic Food and Cookery showcase a taste of Iceland through over 100 recipes that range from traditional to contemporary Icelandic recipes. This Icelandic cookbook explores the background and origins of the cuisine and touches on how it has evolved. Every recipe is complemented by a historical context, personal anecdote, or social nugget that helps explain the dish, giving the reader a glimpse of Icelandic cooking and culture. This cookbook also tackles ingredients and fascinating stories about festive Icelandic food traditions. An index in both English and Icelandic is also made available for deeper understanding. The majority of the recipes are passed on for generations by the author’s own family, and some are just a collection of her personal favorites from other cookbooks and magazines.
About the Author ✍️
Nanna Rögnvaldardottir is a renowned cookbook author and food writer in Iceland. She was raised in Northern Iceland, where she learned about Icelandic cooking from her mother at an early age. In 1998, Love of Food, her first book, was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize and named Reference Book of the Year by the Icelandic Librarians Association.
2. North
Why We Love It ❤️
A little of Iceland’s wonderful history is revealed as you flip through the pages with gorgeous photographs that flow seamlessly through the recipes, tips, techniques, information about Iceland’s various regions, and interviews with people who help to preserve the rich traditions of Icelandic cuisine.
Review 📖
“North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland” is an Icelandic cookbook that’s both a recipe book and a culinary journey. It gives a unique view into the creative process of Gunnar Karl Gíslason, one of this book’s authors and a famous chef who is also an Icelander. The book also contains helpful information about native ingredients, substitutions, smoking, and other preservation methods. North is more than just a cookbook; it’s a celebration of Icelandic cuisine, with its remarkable customs, tales, and people that set it apart from anywhere else in this world.
About the Authors ✍️
Jody Eddy is a famed chef, culinary education writer, and author. She enjoys running, gardening, and planning her next culinary adventure. She gives culinary tours from Iceland’s glacial rivers to many parts of the world when she is not busy writing.
Gunnar Karl Gíslason is an author and an award-winning chef-entrepreneur. His contemporary cooking, which highlights Iceland’s pure ingredients and local producers, has received international acclaim and media attention. He enjoys foraging with his children for produce for his restaurant or salmon fishing in one of Iceland’s glacier rivers in his leisure time, always with his Gislason’s cooking philosophy.
3. Cool Cuisine
Review 📖
Excellent cuisine brings to life your favorite traditional Icelandic recipes. Combining old and new fusion with exceptional ingredients results in this wonderful collection of delectable Icelandic recipes. This book features a selection of recipes that present delicious, simple cooking with a modern twist. Learn how to prepare Icelandic staples like puffin, reindeer, or something simpler like fresh fish drawn from the pristine waters of the Arctic or the famed Icelandic lamb, raised on fragrant mountain grasses and herbs in the countryside. This Icelandic cookbook will show you that Icelandic cuisine doesn’t compromise on taste or quality. If you’re looking for easy-to-follow recipes with only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, this one is for you.
About the Author ✍️
Nanna Rögnvaldardottir is a renowned cookbook author and food writer in Iceland. She was raised in Northern Iceland, where she learned about Icelandic cooking from her mother at an early age. In 1998, Love of Food, her first book, was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize and named Reference Book of the Year by the Icelandic Librarians Association, she also won a Nordic Prize, in 1999.
4. Homestyle Icelandic Cooking for American Kitchens
Review 📖
Homestyle Icelandic Cooking for American Kitchens is a must-have for your collection, perfect for anyone wanting to enjoy a slice of Iceland. Regardless of whether you want to reconnect with your heritage, try some new Icelandic foods, or are already a fan of Icelandic cooking, this book is worth looking into. This Icelandic cookbook features daily recipes, each well-described with detailed, easy-to-follow steps. The cooking methods are also explained, along with tips and tricks for getting the perfect dish. These recipes are a few straightforward traditional favorites that encapsulate the flavors and history of Icelandic cooking at home.
About the Authors ✍️
Heidi Herman may have been born and raised in the United States, but her love and connection to her Icelandic roots is a recurring theme in her writing. Although she has written several books in four different genres, her present focus is on women’s fiction books. Heidi enjoys traveling and the outdoors, in addition to writing.
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman is an Icelander who immigrated to the US after getting married. She has published numerous pieces in newspapers and periodicals and led workshops for adult learners at a community college. Íeda wrote her autobiography after retiring in 2009 and has since continued to write and share tales about Iceland.
5. Vegan at Home
Review 📖
Vegan at home presents 145 simple and tasty vegan Icelandic and continental recipes. It contains delicious recipes for simple lunches to take to the office, everyday dinners, and even recipes for memorable meals with loved ones. This book tackles the modern, plant-based lifestyle through its three sections: Basics (nut milk and tofu), Everyday (breakfast to dinner), and Celebrations (meals for more significant events). The recipes in the Basics section serve as a solid base for the rest of the other hearty and healthy dishes in the cookbook. Packed with helpful information and beautiful photos, this Icelandic vegan cookbook is truly a gem for home cooks beginning their vegan journey or for those constantly searching for new ideas to whip up in the kitchen.
About the Author ✍️
Solla Eirksdóttir is a well-known Icelandic chef who has spent over 40 years specializing in vegan and plant-based cuisine. For nearly 20 years, Solla oversaw an organic food company and owned and ran Iceland’s most renowned vegetarian restaurant, Gló. She has authored several cookbooks and taught vegetarian cooking on television.
6. Slippurinn
Review 📖
Slippurinn, which translates to “wish book,” is aptly named for Chef Gísli Matt’s book and Iceland’s restaurant, which both started with wishful thinking. Eventually, he built Slippurinn with his family in a history-rich shipyard building in a small town where plants and greens abound. With this, he created a menu that pays tribute to the classics while embracing the new. In Slippurinn, Chef Gísli Matt uses traditional techniques and ingredients that were prevalent during the Ice Age. The restaurant has achieved international acclaim, leading to the launch of its catering business and new eateries throughout Iceland. This cookbook is the product of his lengthy research and pursuit of traditional Icelandic cuisine, as well as his strong desire to conserve native culinary expertise while using modern methods for Icelandic dishes that can be enjoyed by both locals and food enthusiasts from all over the world. Slippurinn: Recipes and Stories from Iceland give readers a taste of Chef Gísli’s Slippurinn and a glimpse of Icelandic culture through his eyes.
About the Author ✍️
Gísli Matt is a chef, restaurateur, and author who come from a long line of cooks and fishermen. He opened Slippurinn, a fantastic place called ‘Restaurant Dill’ with a charming and welcoming ambiance that is only open during the summer. The restaurant only serves seasonal ingredients from the islands.
7. The Nordic Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
With his signature honest approach, the author, Chef Magnus Nilsson, blends hundreds of original recipes with stunning photography in this delectable journey into the vibrant Nordic food scene, providing everything you need to cook authentic and seasonal dishes that are just as colorful and vibrant as the regions they come from.
Review 📖
The Nordic Cookbook features over 700 recipes that enable home cooks around the world to prepare Nordic meals through easy-to-follow instructions. Some dishes that represent contemporary Nordic cuisine are also featured. All this without leaving the kitchen since all recipes are designed to be cooked at home and with only basic equipment. This cookbook gem is categorized per food type. It covers a vast range of recipes for meat, fish, vegetables, bread, pastries, and sweets that use Nordic produce, with Icelandic ingredients included. In this book, Nordic culinary history, special dishes for seasonal festivals, cooking techniques such as smoking, and other preserving methods are tackled as well. The Nordic Cookbook pays homage to one of the world’s most distinctive regions and is bound to become a classic.
About the Author ✍️
Magnus Nilsson is an award-winning chef, sommelier, and author from Sweden. Magnus appears in the Emmy-nominated US PBS series The Mind of a Chef and the Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table. He received the White Guide Global Gastronomy Award in 2015.
8. From the North
Review 📖
In From the North: A Simple and Modern Approach to Authentic Nordic Cooking, the author pays homage to the flavors of her youth with the use of seasonal Icelandic ingredients and creative twists in this cookbook. In pursuing practicality and taste, author Katrín Björk may have bent a few norms, but her recipes never lose sight of the Nordic culture’s deep ties to nature and family. This Icelandic cookbook shares a wide selection of recipes that may be used for unique lunches, relaxed evenings, or classy holiday feasts. With beautiful photographs and helpful tips on choosing the freshest ingredients, carefully storing goods, and preparing some Nordic and Scandinavian staples, this book will make you realize that cooking Icelandic dishes is not so intimidating.
About the Author ✍️
Katrín Björk is a native of Iceland and Denmark who currently resides in New York. She is the woman behind the well-known food blog Modern Wife-style. Her recipes and photography have appeared in major publications such as Martha Stewart Living and the Huffington Post, to name a few.
9. Raw
Why We Love It ❤️
The book’s main focus is on the recipes and the message of health, happiness, and well-being. Readers can expect vibrant, fresh flavors with recipes organized into five chapters—breakfast, snacks, light lunches, main dishes, and desserts.
Review 📖
Through 75 wholesome and delectable recipes, popular Icelandic chef and cookbook author Solla Eirksdóttir introduces readers to the new look of vegetarian and raw food. A general emphasis is placed on fresh vegetables, grains, and fruits. I look forward to learning how to make gourmet meals and desserts with the likes of Wild Sorrel Pesto, Raw Almond, Rosemary Crackers, and Vanilla Ice Cream, among many others, through this wonderfully written book. The recipes are all vegan or raw, and every single one is vegetarian. Solla hopes to develop more cookbooks that put Icelandic cuisine at the forefront of the vegan and raw food movement.
About the Author ✍️
Solla Eirksdóttir is a well-known Icelandic chef who has spent over 40 years specializing in vegan and plant-based cuisine. For nearly 20 years, Solla oversaw an organic food company and owned and ran Iceland’s most renowned vegetarian restaurant, Gló. She has authored several cookbooks and taught vegetarian cooking on television.
10. The Culinary Saga of New Iceland
Review 📖
This Icelandic cookbook is a fascinating compilation of all the recipes, anecdotes, and photos that depict the story of native Icelanders who emigrated to New Iceland, Manitoba’s Interlake region, in 1875. This book wonderfully recalls New Icelandic food from the period of immigration to the present, with over 200 traditional and contemporary Icelandic recipes to be cherished and passed on for generations. Food articles collated from the New Icelandic settlement newspaper Framfari are also included, as is a comparative analysis of Gurn Jónsdóttir’s Matreislubók, an Icelandic recipe diary published in the early 1900s, and can find recipe comments in this book too. The Culinary Saga of New Iceland: Recipes From the Shores of Lake Winnipeg is a history filled with a culinary odyssey and a tribute to Icelandic heritage.
About the Author ✍️
Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns was born in Gimli, Manitoba, the hub of New Icelandic settlement. She is an award-winning cookbook author who also writes fantasy and ocean conservation books for tweens.
Final Thoughts
Many cooking enthusiasts worldwide agree that Icelandic food is some of the best in the world. It’s simple and natural yet satisfying and nourishing. So whether you’re a new home cook or a sophisticated gourmand, this is a beautiful cuisine you wouldn’t want to pass up on. We hope you found a new Icelandic cookbook to inspire you to explore the wholesome and classic flavors of Icelandic cooking and the rest of the Nordic region. Happy cooking! Gangi þér vel!
