

Greenlandic Food
Published: 01/08/2022
Reading time: 3 minutes
In Greenland, we normally catch out own food. Greenlandic food is from the ocean, where we catch everything from fish, seals, and whales to land, where we hunt reindeer, musk ox, and birds. We get provided with fresh animals to catch all year round, depending on the weather conditions.
You can catch food all year round, depending on the weather conditions, which is the dominating factor in Greenland. Due to unpredictable weather conditions, the Greenlandic people are very spontaneous and don’t make plans to fare out in the future. Some days you might be out all day, other days you can be trapped inside due to a snowstorm.

The picture above is taken one summer when we went fishing for Ammasette. In Danish, it’s called Lodder, and can be used for bait, when fishing for larger fish, or food for our dogs. We do keep a lot of them for ourselves as well since they taste delicious on the pan or in the oven.
It’s also possible to dry them and put them in the freezer, so you can eat them as a snack all year round. We normally eat them dried with appel and mattak (whale fat) and aromatic spice. Ammasette is filled with nutrients and vitamins.

It’s very normal to see fish and meat hanging outside of houses in Greenland. This is the drying process. We eat them all year round, as well does the dogsled dogs.

We have a very rich ocean life in Greenland. Crabs, shrimps, and oysters are very normal in Greenland and are a big part of the Greenlandic kitchen.

Not everyone catches their own food, and we don’t always serve Greenlandic food. A lot of our vegetables and other food sources are sent from Denmark in containerships.
We often eat traditional danish dishes as well. The man in the image above is my colleague Frederik, who went to Brættet to buy his lunch. Brættet is a place where you can buy fresh caught fish, seals, shrimps, and other Greenlandic food, from local fishermen.

Above you see dried fish, dried Ammasetter, dried whale meat, seal fat, blackberries, and Mattak, which is whale skin. This food is often served at Kaffemik, alongside a lot of other dishes, with coffee and cake.
We don’t only eat food that originated from Greenland. As mentioned before, we do get a lot of food shipped in from Denmark, and we also go to restaurants once in a while, just like other places in the world.

Here is my Nephew Diego and me at a cafe in Nuuk. He got waffles with ice creme and an ice blend, very delicious 🙂
Read our Ultimate Guide to Greenland, for more knowledge about our country.
Wanna catch your own meal, click here.
Read more travel blogs from Laali Berthelsen
-
5.00(3)
Dog sledding expedition | Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut | West Greenland
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration3 daysFrom 17800 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)Pay by the Hour
Pay by the Hour Private Charter | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 hoursFrom 4000 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
4 hours Dogsledding tour| Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration4 hoursFrom 2595 DKKSee more -
Snowmobile Adventure | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration4 hoursFrom 6000 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)2026-Flights from Denmark included!
A long weekend in the Arctic to remember | 5 days | Ilulissat
Tour startsFrom CopenhagenDuration5 daysFrom 21900 DKKSee more -
Musk Ox, Reindeer & Ice Cap Tour | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration25 minutesFrom 1350 DKKSee more -
1-10 people included
Boat charter | Open Boat | Qasigiannguit | Disko Bay
Tour startsQasigiannguitDuration2 hoursFrom 1600 DKKSee more -
Kuannit Hike | Qeqertarsuaq | Disko Bay
Tour startsQeqertarsuaqDuration4 hoursFrom 595 DKKSee more -
5.00(5)
Meet Sled Dogs | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration1.5 hoursFrom 350 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)1 to 6 people included!
The Abandoned Settlement of Kangeq & The Island Of Hope | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration3 hoursFrom 6900 DKKSee more -
New Exiting Tour
Guided tour in Nuuk with UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicles) | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration1.5 hoursFrom 1700 DKKSee more -
Dog Sled Express | Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsTasiilaqDuration2 hoursFrom 1200 DKKSee more -
Including flights to Greenland!
Highlights of Iceland & Ilulissat, West Greenland | 8 Days
Tour startsFrom IcelandDuration8 daysFrom 45400 DKKSee more -
Whale Safari | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration4 hoursFrom 2900 DKKSee more -
1 To 6 Passengers Included
Sea Fishing | Private tour | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration4 hoursFrom 7700 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)1 To 6 Passengers Included
Private Whale Safari | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration4 hoursFrom 7400 DKKSee more -
5.00(27)
Boat Trip among the Icebergs | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2.5 hoursFrom 695 DKKSee more