The Eskimo’s Ultimate Delicacy — A Must-Have for Weddings
The most unique dish, belonging to the Eskimos, is undoubtedly the raw fermented sea bird known as Kiviak.
The Preparation is Brutal, the Process is Eco-friendly, and the Consumption is Unusual 
Kiviak, also known as Kivgiq or Kiviak, is a cherished food among the Eskimos, referred to as “fermented auk.” It originates from Greenland and is a traditional fermented meat dish of the Eskimos. Due to its high content of vitamins and proteins, it’s an essential part of the Eskimos’ diet in harsh, cold environments.
Ingredients and Preparation:
- Main Ingredients: Little auks and seal skin. The little auks are stuffed into the seal skin, which is then sealed, coated with seal oil at the seams, and buried in the cold ground to ferment naturally for three years.
How to Eat Fermented Auk:
- Typically, the tail of the auk is removed, and the fermented, decayed insides are sucked out directly from the bird’s anus, or the insides can be squeezed onto grilled meat.
Preparation Method:
1、Ingredients: About 100 little auks and one seal.
2、Preparation: After killing the little auks, let them sit in a cool place for a day. Then, stuff nearly 100 little auks into the seal’s stomach. No need to pluck feathers or remove the insides.
3、Seal and Bury: Sew up the seal’s stomach, expelling the air, and coat the seam with dried seal fat to prevent maggots. Bury it in permafrost.
4、Fermentation: Allow the seal’s stomach acid to ferment the birds. In Alaska, this takes 2-3 years; in warmer places, the fermentation time is shorter due to temperature. In China, while it’s possible, the result might not be authentic. Hehe! I guess none of you would want to try this, right?
Consumption Method:
Dig up the seal, cut open its belly, and take out the birds, which will still retain their original shape due to unfermented feathers.
Method One: Remove the bird’s tail and suck out the fermented, decayed insides through the bird’s anus. The taste is reminiscent of chaff and natto, along with the flavor of the fermented mixture.
Method Two: Spread the contents of the bird’s belly onto grilled meat.
Nature is a place of survival of the fittest, and the Eskimos have developed unique ways of living in the Arctic for so long. This is the instinct for human survival.
Due to environmental conditions, they cannot consume fresh fruits and vegetables, which are necessary for vitamins. However, they can eat raw reindeer liver, seal brains, and whale skin to obtain the vitamins their bodies need.
While this way of eating might be hard for us to accept, we must admit that the Eskimos are indeed very clever.
The preparation of Kiviak’s ingredients is not labor-intensive, but the process requires three years, making it a very precious food in the eyes of the Eskimos. It’s only brought out to entertain esteemed guests or during significant events like weddings or funerals.
I wonder if this dish would make people hesitant to marry into an Eskimo family!
