Monday, December 17, 2012

This is Maktak

Maktak is whale skin with a bit of fat.  Different whales are eaten in different parts of the arctic - this is Narwhal from near Pond Inlet on Baffin Island.  The black and grey layer is the spotted skin of the Narwhal and the pink layer is the fat.  You eat it cold - frozen - with a bit of soy sauce.
Its really chewy, so it helps to score the maktak with a sharp knife before eating it.  Its hard to describe the taste.  Its frozen and very chewy, but it doesn't have a very strong taste.  Perhaps frozen salmon would be the closest southern food.   I like a lot of soy sauce with my maktak and I need to chew and swallow very quickly.  I've never been able to chew it all up - the skin is just too tough and rubbery.  I need to swallow it before it warms up and I think too much about what I'm chewing on.
Photo Credits: Tim Rast

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails