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Drink · Iceland
Brennivín
A grain spirit flavored with caraway, served very cold in small measures. Launched in 1935 when Iceland again allowed distilled spirits, it became the drink of Þorrablót.
Flavors · Iceland
Kjötsúpa
Lamb soup cooked with potato, carrot, rutabaga or turnip and herbs in a thick broth. It’s the winter dish most closely associated with Icelandic homes, with a different recipe in every family.
Traditional dish from Iceland
Also known as: Íslensk kjötsúpa, Lambakjötsúpa
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Kjötsúpa — Iceland
Kjötsúpa, literally “meat soup,” is a lamb soup. Pieces of bone-in meat simmer slowly with potato, carrot, rutabaga or turnip and, in some versions, leek, onion and herbs until the broth becomes rich and flavorful.
Reykjavík tourism describes it as the lamb soup that has warmed Icelanders for centuries, a dish of the cold months. National tourism notes that every family has its own recipe, passed down through generations.
The soup’s vegetables are those that grow well in the island’s climate, such as roots and tubers. The meat comes from sheep that spend the summer grazing freely in the mountains and are gathered in autumn, and the soup is made mainly in that season and in winter.
Kjötsúpa is served hot in a deep bowl, with the meat and vegetables in the broth. Many traditional restaurants keep it on the menu year-round.
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Where it comes from
Iceland
A lamb soup common to the whole country, with no regional association in the sources.
Ingredients
Bone-in lamb, potato, carrot, rutabaga or turnip, leek or onion, dried herbs, salt and pepper.
How it is eaten
Very hot, in a deep bowl with the meat and vegetables; sometimes served with bread.
When it is eaten
Autumn and winter; family lunches and Sunday meals.
Your questions
Questions about Kjötsúpa
What is kjötsúpa?
An Icelandic lamb soup with potato, carrot, rutabaga or turnip and herbs, cooked slowly.
When is kjötsúpa eaten?
Mostly in autumn and winter as a family dish; many traditional restaurants serve it year-round.
What meat does kjötsúpa use?
Lamb, in bone-in pieces that give the broth its flavor.
Flavors of Iceland
Discover other flavors of Iceland
Dish · Iceland
Plokkfiskur
White cooked fish, usually cod or haddock, flaked and mixed with potato, onion, and white sauce. A classic Icelandic home dish, served with rye bread and butter.
Dish · Iceland
Rúgbrauð
Dark, dense, slightly sweet rye bread, baked for many hours at low, humid heat. In geothermal areas, it is baked buried in the hot ground and is called hverabrauð.
Dish · Iceland
Þorramatur
Selection of meats and fish preserved in the old-fashioned way, served at Þorrablót, the festival of the month of Þorri in midwinter. It is accompanied by rye bread, butter and brennivín.
Dish · Fiordes do Oeste
Kæst skata
Skata fermented for several weeks, cooked and served with potato, rutabaga, melted lamb tallow and rye bread. It is the dish of December 23, a custom that started in the Westfjords and spread across Iceland.
Dish · Nordeste
Laufabrauð
Very thin wheat dough discs, cut with leaf designs and fried until crisp. It is the Icelandic Christmas bread, a tradition that remained especially in the north of the country before spreading.