Gluten Free, R U?: Gluten Free in Iceland

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Gluten Free in Iceland - Hótel Dyrhólaey

I have no photos of my food from our three night stay at Hótel Dyrhólaey and that is no way indicative of the food not being good. In fact, I am sad I don’t have photos of my amazing meals I had here.

First night was the Tomato soup to start, then Iceland Cod with potatoes and veggies, followed up with Icelandic Skyr with blueberries.

The soup was excellent. It was creamy and filled with fresh veggies. It even was the perfect temperature. I just wish they had some gluten free bread to soak up the end of the soup.

Then the cod...It was seriously the best fish I have ever had, EVER. It was cooked to perfection, it was flaky and tender and the flavor was just perfect. The potatoes were perfect as were the veggies. I must disclose there was also some butter involved with the fish that I am sure lent to the yumminess but really it was an amazing piece of fish.

The Skyr was creamy, thick, sweet and oh so good. I am definitely hooked on it now.

Second night was Cauliflower soup, Icelandic Pork with potatoes and veggies, followed up with chocolate caramel panna cotta.

The soup again was perfect. Creamy, thick, full of veggies and just the right temperature.

The pork was interesting. It was tasty but it reminded me so much of beef (that I am not able to eat) that I worried it was a “funny” description for Icelandic Pork and it really meant it was beef. It did turn out they had beef gravy on the pork and I did get a little off that night. I wished I had just switched to the cod.. which I did do for the last night (instead of chicken).

The panna cotta was incredible. They removed the bottom layer which apparently was like a cookie and we were left with the chocolate and caramel panna cotta. It was delicious! It was a definite tie with the Skyr.

The last night I changed my chicken to cod and I am so glad I did. There was broccoli soup and Skyr again for dessert.

The soup was perfect. Not creamy but more like broth but it was soooo good. Warm and perfect for the cold Iceland weather.

The cod was just as perfect as the first night, the sign of an amazing chef if you ask me. All the sides were just as good also. So impressed with the food at this hotel.

Lastly the Skyr was just as good as the first night too.

We were also treated to 1000 year old glacial ice for our drinks this night from our trip to Diamond Beach.

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My gluten free history

When I turned 30 years old, I started to gain weight that I couldn't lose and I was getting back to back colds. The final straw was I got bronchitis and I had to take an antibiotic to help me get better. The side effect for 4% of people on this antibiotic was gastrointestinal issues. Yes, I was part of that 4%. The medicine basically stripped away whatever had been protecting me through my first 30 years of life. You see I have always had gastrointestinal issues since I can remember. My father also had the same issues and my paternal grandmother too. I was so sick from the medicine (or so I thought) that I had to go back to the doctor and do a series of tests. During this time I was following the BRAT diet (Banana, rice, a, toast). Saltines and toast were my go to comfort, little did I know they were NOT what I should be eating. My co-worker gave me an article about food allergies and there was a quiz. You only needed to answer 4 of the 8 questions with yes to fall under their designation and I had answered 6 of the 8 with yes. I was on my way. My husband and I cleaned out all our cabinets of the 7 allergens… all that was left was rice. After a few weeks, I was feeling somewhat better when I stayed at a home where they told me to eat whatever was in the fridge. I saw the rice and started eating. Within a hour I was violently ill. I couldn't understand. I took the rice with me to work the next day and when I told my other co-worker about my issue she asked to see the rice. It was orzo… pasta… gluten/wheat filled pasta! I had my first allergen to check off the list as being an issue. It turned out at the time dairy and eggs were also triggers but I have since been able to add them back. My husband and I went on a full gluten free diet and within a few months I had lost my weight, stopped living in my bathroom, looked healthy and was not terrified to eat things any more. Now it has been 15 years and while I have gained some weight back (darn those yummy gluten free cookies and pretzels) my issues are still in check and I couldn't be happier to figure out what was wrong with my body and be able to fix it.