Iceland
The vast majority of Icelanders speak at least three languages: Icelandic, English, and Danish, and many have studied other foreign languages, usually one or two of German, French, and Spanish.
Icelandic is the official language of Iceland and is the first language of most people.
English and Danish are compulsory languages in schools.
As for the neighbouring Swedish and Norwegian, Icelanders, on the contrary, rarely devote time to systematic study. The Danish they learn is already a highly "Scandinavianized" variant of the language itself, with a certain degree of Norwegian and Swedish pronunciation and speech habits, but written in the Danish language.
Icelanders used to call this fusion of languages "Scandinavian".
The long-standing Icelandic proverb "Half of our country is the sea" sums up the character of Iceland's territory very well. As an island nation surrounded by sea, nothing is older and more far-reaching than the fish industry, which has long been the backbone of Iceland's economy.
Seafood is not just food that is brought to the table to satisfy the daily needs of Icelanders, but as an export, it has also helped transform Iceland from the poorest country in Europe in the early 19th century to one of the richest countries in the world today.
So when it comes to Icelandic food, you can't go wrong with Icelandic seafood. Seafood has become an integral part of Icelandic cuisine and culture, and sea life of all kinds can be found on Icelandic coins.
The importance of seafood to Iceland is self-evident, as Iceland has even gone so far as to compete with the powerful United Kingdom for the right to fish.
Fish is the mainstay of Icelandic cuisine and occupies an unassailable position in Icelandic cuisine. According to statistics, Icelanders now eat fish twice a week on average, and more than half of them eat fish oil at least four times a week. Fish and fish products have become embedded in every aspect of Icelandic life.
Walk into an Icelandic restaurant and you'll find a variety of fish dishes on the menu, including cod, haddock, salmon, and kangas.
Many fish restaurants in Iceland use fish that were landed the same day, and the freshness of the fish with local ingredients is guaranteed to make your mouth water.
The town of Hepburn is the main producer of lobster in Iceland, and it is said that people living in the capital will drive 450 kilometres to Hepburn just to taste the freshest lobster meal.
This shows that lobster cuisine is very high in the ranking of Icelandic cuisine. Common lobster dishes in Iceland include lobster soup, grilled lobster, lobster pizza, and so on.
Bread is usually made of wheat, which gives you nutrition and a sense of satiety. Crispy outside, soft inside
The bread is usually made of wheat, which gives you nutrition and a sense of satiety. The bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the soup is steaming hot.
Cod has been a popular ingredient in Icelandic cuisine since ancient times, and the Icelanders have worked very hard to ensure that it is available.
The most popular way to eat cod is dried fish, in addition to the aforementioned fish stew. The fish used for making dried fish are not only cod but also haddock and Atlantic wolffish.