Kangerlussuaq is said to have the only international airport in Greenland (although we flew into Ilulissat from Reykjavik, Iceland). It is a former U.S. air base and a current Danish air base. Flights into Greenland come only from Iceland and Denmark. It is also the most inland town in Greenland, making it the best destination for a visit to the Greenland ice sheet.
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| This is a view of our plane (we took from Ilulissat) from the terminal. The terminal on the other side belongs to the Danish military. |
Our travel agent booked us a two course meal at Restaurant Rokluben, the best restaurant in the Kangerlussuaq area, before we took an excursion out to the Greenland ice sheet. It is 5 km from town on the shore of Lake Ferguson. It is serviced by a shuttle bus from the airport that runs back and forth.
I ended up being frustrated by the booking of our travel agent because they ordered us a course of halibut when I'd read about Rokluben serving reindeer, whale, muskox and other oddities. I wish I'd been more aggressive in seeking alternate food choices when we arrived. As it was, I did ask for a side course of muskox tartar, something that was recommended to me by one of the representatives of AirZafari who had eaten there.
I've mentioned previously that I am not fond of halibut, it is just too bland. However, Greenlanders have a penchant for salt, given their need to preserve everything, and this halibut was so salty I could not eat it, which is saying something because I like things salty. It had a nice marinade of some sort of vinegar and some broccoli and mayonnaise, but I only ate a few bites.
The muskox tartar was a completely different matter. It was covered with some sort of herb and had a little mayonnaise and some dried tomatoes. It was only lightly seasoned, if at all, and it was what Greenlandic food rarely is - fresh. Kangerlussuaq is the gateway to this area of Greenland's caribou and muskox hunting, and thus has access to the most fresh meat of this type. It was very moist and I actually would have liked it a little more seasoned. No gaminess whatsoever, just very mild, high quality meat with no hint of fat.
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| Muskox tartar |
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| A clearer view of the meat - with much of the topping removed. |
It's amazing to me that a country with such a small population and a relatively small tourist base can come up with food that is so beautiful to look at--even if it isn't always tasty. The plating of the food seemed to be as important to them as the taste.
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