[Sca-cooks] Iceland

[Dan Phelps]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark S. Harris" <stefan at texas.net>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2002 10:33 PM
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Icelandic Food Question


In response to:

> > The island's
> > geomorphology strongly affected its history and I want to visit the
features
> > that are described in the sagas.

Stefen wrote:

> Are the sagas actually detailed enough to be able to pick out various
> geographic features?

It is my understanding that this is so.  You need to remember that Iceland's
history from its settlement is well documented, continuous and a source of
great national pride.   Additionally the portion of the island that is
habitable, i.e. not covered with ice, barren rock or desert is relatively
small, generally coast hugging and divided by distinct terrain features.
Couple this with the fact that those terrain features are occasionally
distinguished by presenting distinctive characteristics and often
reoccurring dangers, i.e. active volcanoes, lava tube caves, "sand storms",
deep "bottomless" pits, glaciers which have sub glacial lakes that due to
geothermal activity occasionally float the glacier and cause sudden and
catastrophic floods.  Truth to tell the farmsteds and even the house sites
mentioned in the sagas are apparently often quite well known and
documentable.  Nanna have I erred?

I further wrote:

> > It is my understanding that some of the
> > hot springs are hot enough to cook food in (obligatory food reference).
> Stefan asked:

> Oh! is there documentation of this? I believe Nanna mentioned on earlier
> messages about Iceland that the idea that each homestead has a hot
> spring for bathing and such is quite far from the truth.

> Any information on this actually being done, if even in just very
>
> specific spots would be a nice addition to this file:
> no-fire-cook-msg  (14K)  6/ 9/00    Period no-fire and solar cooking.

Nanna, as the local expert, would you have documentation of this for Stefan?
I know that at various sites the water is reported to be hot enough but not
if it was actually done.