To people who have never eaten fermented meat, the traditional Inughuit dish kiviaq may seem disgusting and possibly dangerous. But the people of northern Greenland have perfected the process of making kiviaq over thousands of years, and enjoy the flavorful fermented bird meat. The fact that kiviaq has been publicized as a disgusting food is a sore spot for the Inughuit, and the tendency for younger generations to prefer imported food supplies means that traditional preparation methods are in danger of dying out. Kiviaq is made by
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…packing 300 to 500 whole dovekies—beaks, feathers, and all—into the hollowed-out carcass of a seal, snitching it up and sealing it with fat, then burying it under rocks for a few months to ferment. Once it’s dug up and opened, people skin and eat the birds one at a time.
This method of fermenting came about because dovekies (also known as little auks) are seasonal. In late spring, millions of birds come to Greenland to nest. They are so thick you can catch them by swinging a net through the air. This bounty of edible game had to be preserved for leaner times, so kiviaq was developed to meet that need. Read about the traditional art of making kiviaq and the people who want to preserve the dish at Atlas Obscura.
(Image credit: AWeith)
Source: neatorama