The final days of shepherding in east Iceland were celebrated last week with Svidamessa, a tradition of eating scorched sheep heads.
Gudmundur Sigvaldsson, organizer of cultural events in Djúpavogur, told Fréttabladid that sheep heads are just as popular as in the past and that locals prefer them to pizzas.
For a while, pizzas were offered alongside sheep heads at Svidamessa, but since no one cared for them, they have now been removed from the dinner table to make room for more traditional Icelandic food.
Traditionally, Icelanders eat every piece of meat they can find on the sheep, including the heads, legs, brains and ram-balls. The sheep’s intestines and blood are used for making slátur, blood pudding and liver sausage, similar to Scottish haggis.
Another Svidamessa will be held in Djúpivogur on 28 October.
