Kiviak is a traditional Inuit dish made by fermenting auks (seagull-like birds) inside a seal skin for several months. The dish is eaten raw and is rich in nutrients, as the Inuit diet relies heavily on meat due to the arctic climate. Kiviak is typically prepared in the spring and eaten in the winter as a special treat.
Kiviak is a fermented seagull-like bird dish prepared by the Inuit in northern Greenland. The practice, which evolved over the centuries as an indigenous Inuit custom, involves stuffing seagull-like birds inside a seal skin for a lengthy underground fermentation process. After several months, the carcass is opened and the birds are stripped of their skin and feathers before the vitamin-rich meat, organs and even bones are eaten raw.
Because Inuit culture is based on an arctic climate, where the soil is unable to grow vegetables and grains, the diet requires that most of the necessary nutrients come from meat. This results in eating lots of fish, seals and other animals, which provide abundant protein and hopefully enough vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates needed for survival. Because kiviak takes about two-thirds of the year to ferment properly, the dish is prepared in the spring so it can be dug up when it’s needed for food in the middle of winter, often as a special holiday treat.
The birds used by the Inuit to make kiviak are called auks. This type of bird resembles a seagull, only smaller, and is easily found flocking to scavenge scraps. They are then snatched from the sky with a noose on a pole or simply shot. When several hundred birds are piled up, a greased seal skin that has been rescued from a recent meal is wrapped around the pile of birds and then stitched shut in a bag for fermentation.
Kiviak is stored underground for about seven months. It is placed under a large rock with the seam facing up. This allows gases to escape through the crack. On top of the stone are smaller rocks and snow. During this time, the birds slowly rot, becoming a fermented soup of meat and bones. At this point they are ready to eat.
Fermented birds are regularly eaten with or without skin. After the wings have been removed and the feathers removed, the rest of the bird is normally eaten raw – the nutrient-rich meat, bones, head and even internal organs. The flavor is reportedly similar to a pungently stinky cheese.
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