Snapshots from Iceland: Hot Dog from Baejarins Beztu Pylsur
I visited Iceland from April 18 to 24. Although this sparsely populated country may not be known for its cuisine, there was plenty of interesting food to report on. This week I'll share some food-related bits with you.
Unless you're vegetarian, you can't visit Reykjavik without eating at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, a hot dog stand near flea market Kolaportið that has been open since 1937. It's known for serving the best hot dog in Reykjavik (its name appropriately means, "The best hot dog in town") and for once having served former US president Bill Clinton. It's certainly one of the most accessible eateries for only 250 ISK per dog (and like almost everything else in Iceland, you can pay for it with your credit card).
I was a bit skeptical of the hot dog at first. I mean...it's just a hot dog. What's the big deal? I'm surrounded by hot dogs in New York City and don't particularly love any of them. But Baejarins Beztu Pylsur beat my hometown ones for two of its characteristics: super snappy casing and crunchy fried onions. Crunch and snap—that's what I needed! Other toppings include chopped raw onions, remoulade, ketchup, and mustard, but overall it's the fried onions I remember the most.
There are notched hot dog holders in the eating area by the stand, but you'll only use them for a second or two before downing the hot dog in just a few bites.
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10 Comments:
I thought that "Baejarins Beztu Pylsur" was the hot new single from Sigur Ros???
Truff at 1:18PM on 04/29/09
I went there also and it was the tastiest thing we ate!! The crunchy onions really make it the best after-bar food in Iceland!
tacorific at 1:25PM on 04/29/09
@Truff: They should totally do that.
@tacoriffic: On the day I left I bought a pack of cronions at Hagkaup. They make everything taste awesomer!
roboppy at 1:29PM on 04/29/09
F&B in Chelsea offers a Danish style Polser dog that is similar to what you had in Iceland. Remoulade and fried onions were offered as toppings along with mustard, ketchup, and tomatoes. I had this dog (minus the onions) when F&B first opened some years ago. Haven't been back since, so I can't say with absolute certainty if it's still offered. While I'm not crazy about too many toppings on my dog, the underlying beef dog was very good. Don't know the brand, but was told it was a Danish Polser dog. I'm pretty sure it was all beef with a nice spicing and casing.
Robyn, if you like a super snappy natural casing, pick up a pack of Boars Head natural casing all beef dogs.
hotdoglover at 1:39PM on 04/29/09
@hotdoglover: Oh yeah, I forgot about F&B! I went there once a few years ago and tried that hot dog with fried onion bits, but haven't been back since.
I generally don't like hot dogs enough to make em myself, but I want to have an Icelandic-themed hot dog party with some friends...sounds like a good hot dog suggestion!
roboppy at 3:23PM on 04/29/09
These are soooooo good with the friend onions.
@Robyn: Do you know if the dog you had was made of lamb? I had one in Iceland back in 2006 and didn't even know it was lamb until my sister told me.
Susquehanna at 7:59PM on 04/29/09
And those fried onions are your friend! Heh. Another typo. Woo!
Susquehanna at 8:02PM on 04/29/09
@Susquehanna: Wikipedia sez they're made of lamb, pork, and beef! TRIPLE MEAT GOODNESS? I can't say I tasted the lamb, but they do like their lamb there so..I don't see why not.
roboppy at 11:27PM on 04/29/09
Is this the same place Tony Bourdain went to in Iceland (with the MTV personality) where he got a hot dog in what looked like a tortilla with shrimp salad on top?
Amandarama at 9:43AM on 04/30/09
Here's the secret behind these hot dogs. They are boiled in beer and beef stock and water. Also the bun is "steamed" to make it soft, but 10-15 seconds in the microwave does the job.
swarez at 9:24PM on 05/03/09