The 520-page cookbook Matur og drykkur by Helga Sigurdardóttir, containing an abundance of classic Icelandic recipes, was rereleased by book publisher Opna last week and copies are quickly disappearing from the shelves.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a similar reaction to a new release. People seem incredibly grateful for our initiative,” Sigurdur Svavarsson at Opna told Fréttabladid.
“One woman […] walked out with seven copies. She wanted to make sure that all of her children would get a copy of their own so that she could keep her book to herself,” Svavarsson added.
Svavarsson stated this reaction confirms how valuable Sigurdardóttir’s book is to Icelanders and the timing of the republishing is also good. “Now people are nurturing their roots, growing their own vegetables and so forth. Then they go back to the basic recipes.”
Sigurdardóttir also emphasized practicality, Svavarsson said, which is important during a depression.
This new issue of Matur og drykkur is based on its third release from 1954, which is the last issue overseen by Sigurdardóttir herself. The book first appeared in 1947.
