Part of The Sunday Review’s Hot Dog series.
Back in 2010, I visited Europe for the first time. My time there, particularly in London and Germany, inspired a frenzied affection for hot-dog-style sausages that haunts me to this day. As a result, any time I travel anywhere that has a tradition of local franks, I get excited. When asked what I was most looking forward to during my recent Icelandic expedition, my reply baffled most folks: I wanted pylsa, or rather I wanted pylsur (plural).
Before arriving, I was led to believe that Reykjavik was awash in pylsa vendors. So, you can understand my confusion when I went a whole day without spotting a single one. Thankfully, I later found two dependable sources within a 15 minute walk from the hotel. The first (below) is better known for its ice creams, but they prepare both pylsur and other sausages such as bratwurst. This makes Hot Dog House Pylsuhusið unusual, as I saw no others offering alternate meats.
Below you can see one pylsa and one bratwurst. The pylsa is prepared “with everything”, which basically means served with a base of crispy fried onions and sweet raw onions, and topped with two signature sauces. The creamy sauce is a remoulade, and the brown one is Icelandic “mustard”. Neither has a strong flavor. The onions are basically the key ingredient to making this a tasty snack, and without them you’re not likely to be impressed. The bratwurst is served with mayonnaise and a Dijon-style mustard. Much more flavorful, but also nearly twice the price. The bratwurst is nicer without the mayonnaise, as it doesn’t need the extra fat.
Currently, the exchange rate conveniently places the Canadian penny at roughly equivalent to the Icelandic Krona, so conversions are easy. Everything is much more expensive in Iceland, regardless of whether the goods are imported or produced domestically. Food is no exception, and this is some of the cheapest prepared food you can get. At this vendor, a pylsa costs roughly $6.50 CAD, while the bratwurst is closer to $13 CAD.
Better known and more widely regarded is the dockside kiosk seen below. Famous for having long queues of people, this stand offers fewer options: one sausage, and fountain drinks. They’re famous for several reasons. Anthony Bourdain, Bill Clinton, and James Hetfield are allegedly amongst its satisfied customers. I had two of their pylsur. The first one left me jaded, whilst the last was the tastiest example of the entire trip. If you don’t mind a long line and fewer options, their pylsur are also cheaper at 400 IKR (roughly $4 CAD).
My experience with pylsur was limited mostly to Reykjavik, but I understand the preparations can vary in other areas of the country. The ones I tried at the airport in Keflavik weren’t noticeably different in any way. It also seems that some, if not all, of the city’s 10-11 convenience stores sell pylsur, but they let you flavor them as you like. I regret not trying theirs at least once, despite my previous negative experiences with convenience-store hot dogs back home.
Having now had several of them, I’m left feeling conflicted. The flavor is pleasant, but not assertive enough for my tastes. It really needs a strong mustard, or something acidic to punch it up. The fact that it’s served with such mild sauces doesn’t help, which is why the onions are so essential. The sausage itself is very similar in look and flavor to your standard European Wiener or Vienna Sausage. I was told the meat is mostly lamb, but can’t find anything to confirm that. As is the case with most sausages, as long as it tastes good, I don’t particularly care what’s in it.
Pylsur are definitely worth trying, particularly since proper restaurant meals in Iceland are 2-3 times more expensive than they are in Canada. A pleasant snack, one I would have again gladly, and tasty when prepared correctly, but not as impressive as I’d hoped. Oh well. I still had fun.
