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00:00So are we in an okay position where we're not gonna get drenched? You should be here. I find
00:17myself in a very strange place, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. So tell me about what's
00:23happening. Well, I mean look around. Everything is steaming all around. I see. Our electricity is
00:30renewable, almost all of it. 70% of it we make with hydro plants, and then 26% we make with
00:37geothermal steam. There's steam everywhere I look. Hot springs, bubbling pools, and very active geysers
00:52This is a show about bread and people. I'm Tony Shalhoub and I have been an actor for nearly five
01:03decades. I grew up in a big family where bread was always at the center of the table. Ever since,
01:09from family meals to movie sets. It's the best thing in the world. I've seen how countless forms of flour
01:15and water have the power to bring people together. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. This is
01:20amazing. So now I'm traveling the world connecting with friends, family, and total strangers as we
01:27bake, break, and chew our way to the heart of the most delicious breads on earth.
01:32This is Iceland, where temperatures below zero and barely any daylight are what old man winter is all
01:48about. And during summer, the opposite, where some months the sun never sets. I'm heading to the island
01:56for the first time. Are you from there? Yeah, born and raised up. It's a lot of nice places in the world,
02:01but this is one of the best ones. I'm taking a very scenic ferry ride from the mainland to the very tiny
02:09island of Hæmae in the Westman Islands. And although I've never been there, I have been to Iceland before.
02:1716 years ago, my family and I came here to do a five-day horse trek, but we didn't have a lot of time to
02:23explore. So I'm back. Welcome. I'm Tony. I'm Kiesli. Nice to meet you. Kiesli, Matt. Yeah. Thank you for
02:33welcoming. You're a chef here? Yeah, I'm running two restaurants here. And we gather the produce from
02:40here, focus on fish and wild products, a lot of seaweeds and herbs and things that you use in your
02:48cooking. Yeah. Chef Kiesli, Matt, prides himself on cooking with local ingredients. And Iceland at large
02:55also leans into sustainability because shipping goods to an island in the middle of the North Atlantic
03:01is quite expensive. We're going to make it to your restaurant. Yeah, definitely. I'm going to show you
03:06a lot of things. Okay. So this is our small restaurant. It's called Nice. You pronounce it nice?
03:14Nice. And it means nice? Exactly. It does feel nice. Today, we're going to be making Icelandic
03:21traditional rye bread. All right. That sounds fantastic. Yeah. So this is basically my grandmother's
03:28recipe. Icelanders, they have a little sweet tooth. You could argue that it's more of a cake than a bread.
03:34Is bread also a sort of essential to the diet? I mean, Icelanders love bread in general. I mean,
03:42this is probably the most traditional one. We bake it in a volcano. You heard him right. This bread will
03:48be baked by the geothermal heat created in 1973, when the still active Eltfeldt volcano blew her stack.
03:57So you put it in, walk away. Walk away, come back the next day. Don't have to set a timer,
04:03go back and get the bread. And then we hope that it's perfect. Yes. The ingredients are simple.
04:09Buttermilk, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and rye flour. Yeah. Put it in like a milk carton and bake
04:17it in this. Why do you want to do it in a milk carton? It just seals it really nicely and it creates
04:25like a steam inside. Look at this. This is gorgeous. So we're just going to wrap it up
04:31from the bread. Okay. So are you ready for some hike up to the volcano? Let's do it.
04:43I'm going to try not to hit you with this. What do you call this spot? This is Eltfeldt volcano that erupted back in 1973.
04:54Over 200 houses underneath the lava went over one third of the island. Oh man. I'm just imagining that there
05:04are easier ways to make a loaf of bread. There is. But not as interesting a way. Exactly.
05:13Breathtaking. It's like you come to the end of the earth. Oh, thank God we're here. This is a good spot,
05:25right? No, we're not. No, I'm sorry. Not here yet. Yesterday, Gisli buried Rido here that we will dig up
05:32and enjoy with our meal tonight. Okay, finally. This is it. We've made it. A little further. Yeah. It's about done.
05:44All right. This is it. We're going to dig. Almost. Almost.
05:49Okay. So this is the oven. So if you can feel slight heat. A little. Oh yeah. It's hot. Yeah.
06:12Feel something there. Is that a rock or? This is not the bread. No. Is you sure this is your,
06:17you sure this is your secret spot? I took a video yesterday. I'm thinking I'm
06:23digging in the wrong spot. Yeah. I think you are. Or someone stole your bread. Our bread is
06:30officially MIA. I think it's here. I was lying to you. That's a funny joke.
06:41Much warmer down there. Oh my God. Oh my God. Look at that. There it is.
06:48Yesterday's bread retrieved. I just set it right in there. Yeah. Today's bread buried. Okay.
06:55This bread's just one part of tonight's menu. And the volcano's just one stop on our grocery
07:01shopping mission. Next up is the sea. Now is when I hope all my complaining about the hike
07:09doesn't inspire Gisli to take me for a short walk off a shorter pier.
07:14So I'm taking you to meet my father who just, just spent the day fishing, brought some cod for us.
07:21I love cod. Cod has such a huge history, both in the whole wide world, but especially for Iceland.
07:29Because the cod actually saved Icelandic economy. Really?
07:33Cod came to the rescue after the financial crisis of 2008, when Iceland's currency was devalued,
07:40making Icelandic exports suddenly affordable. One of the most significant, cod cured in salt.
07:47Hello. Hello. How long have you been a fisherman? 50 or more. 55 years. 55 years.
07:57And the quality of fish that we can get, it's second to none. And they're plentiful,
08:04right? The cod? Yeah. Hope you're hungry.
08:15Where are we? What are we doing? We've gathered from the land and the sea, and I'm ready to eat.
08:21But first, evidently, we are hitting the beach. Here's where we forest a lot of different types
08:28of seaweeds. We don't have to go into the water for the seaweed. It comes to us. It's come to us.
08:34Gisely didn't just pull foraging seaweed out of the clear blue, well, ocean. So this one
08:41almost reminds me of like a gherkin. Oh. Like a salted cucumber. That's actually unbelievably
08:48delicious. So this is the sugar kelp. This is amazing for like flavored stocks. Beautiful.
08:56This is called sea truffles. It tastes almost like a mixture of black truffles and uni. It
09:01absolutely has a truffle kick. Yeah. Are any of these usable in bread products? Or on bread,
09:09in bread, with bread? This is used, was always traditionally used in flat kaka, which is
09:16like probably the first Icelandic recipe for a bread. Salt was a delicacy. So this was used to salt
09:22the bread and then smoked lamb on top. Everything is useful. Everything? Everything. Oh, I thought it
09:29was like certain, you know, like you pick mushrooms. Some you can use, some are poisonous. Yeah. But this
09:33is all good stuff. Yeah. We're heading to Gisely's home, where he will create a meal with the motherlode
09:41of local ingredients we've collected. And I'm dying to cut into the bread. Yeah. I'm anxious to see how
09:47it came out. That is beautiful. Look at that. It smells like cake. How thick do you usually slice?
09:56It doesn't matter. Perfect like this. First bite needs to be with butter. So we say in Iceland,
10:01if the butter doesn't leave teeth marks, it's not enough butter. Okay. And that works for me. So,
10:08moment of truth. Exquisite. Amazing. Like a pastry, like a cake, like a bread. You know,
10:19what's interesting is that it really feels like there's like molasses in there. I mean,
10:25there are a little bit of molasses in the brown sugar, but has like this caramel flavor.
10:31It's just teeth marks, just so. Yeah, exactly. For the record. It was a long hike. It was beautiful,
10:38but this bread is so worth it. Done in a volcano. I can't wait to ride with the fish as well.
10:45We're going to caramelize the head and roast in the oven. There's no part of this fish that
10:51seems like it's going to waste. We aim to use 100% of the fish completely. So these are cod skins.
10:59This is really, really good. And a perfect way to use a product that is very often wasted.
11:07To prepare these crispy cod chips, Giesli has skinned the whole fish, including the head,
11:12and soaked the skins in a salt brine, then dried, fried, and seasoned them.
11:18What triggered this career path for you? My uncle was opening a restaurant in Reykjavik. I was 16 years old.
11:25All of a sudden, the dishwasher didn't show up one day, so I had to do the dishwasher. Then,
11:31all of a sudden, one prep chef didn't show up, so I started peeling potatoes. And then,
11:36all of a sudden, I was just an important person in the kitchen.
11:40Giesli went off to culinary school, then opened his restaurants, and now has written a cookbook
11:46focusing on adapting traditional Icelandic dishes for the modern palate.
11:50Giesli's wife, Hafdis, is joining us for dinner. Tonight's hyper-local menu consists of roasted cod head,
12:07basted with caramelized kelp sauce, baked cod with butter and seaweed.
12:12Oh, yes. Creamed potatoes with wild herbs and pickled sugar kelp. And, of course, our rye bread,
12:21compliments of the Eldfeld volcano. So, how did you meet?
12:24It was after I opened the restaurant, and I just really like this girl at the hair salon,
12:30and I went back to cut my hair, I think...
12:32Every day?
12:34Almost.
12:35Yeah. Four times in one month, but it worked out in the end.
12:39You have your own businesses. That's something my father always tried to instill in us, too.
12:46He was an independent businessman. He said, if you can do that, that's the path.
12:52Yeah, I mean, both of us, we haven't worked for anyone else. I don't know if I could.
12:56Like, I would probably be a terrible employee.
12:59That is really, really something.
13:04Amazing.
13:05That fillet.
13:06And I think it's more interesting eating the whole head than, like, a piece of fillet, because this...
13:11Right, because you're getting three different dishes, really, and the cheek is moist.
13:17And I actually recommend to you taking a little rye bread, putting a cream potato on top.
13:26And then you put the fish on top.
13:28A little bit of extra seaweed as well.
13:34So good.
13:35Absolutely revelatory.
13:38That's what this is.
13:40And life-changing.
13:41To me, it's just, like, so comforting flavors.
13:44I can't thank you enough for having me.
13:46Thank you so much.
13:47And this showing me your work and the island.
13:50What a pleasure.
13:52Thank you so much.
13:52I just have to have one more bite.
13:53Yeah, do it.
13:58I'm officially on the mainland.
14:06While Reykjavik is Iceland's largest city, it's home to fewer than 200,000 people.
14:11Hi!
14:13Hi, Hera.
14:15It's so nice to see you.
14:16Me too.
14:17Thank you for meeting me.
14:19I'm so glad you're here.
14:20Hera Hilmar is a new friend and a fellow actor.
14:24She's taking me to a Michelin star restaurant called Oaks.
14:29Hera knows the chef who builds the menu around local and seasonal ingredients.
14:34Not an easy feat in Iceland's harsh climate.
14:37Oaks has a speakeasy vibe.
14:39And true to form, the entrance is absolutely unassuming.
14:48Oh, this is great.
14:51It's a little bit of a haunted house, but vibe.
14:53I know.
14:54I hope it's only nice ghosts.
14:56It's like an old Icelandic home.
14:59It has a living room, library feel.
15:02This is where people sometimes have drinks and stuff.
15:05Come on.
15:10This is too beautiful.
15:12Hi.
15:12Hi.
15:13Hi.
15:13Welcome in.
15:15I'm Tony.
15:15Hi, Straun.
15:16The idea behind Oaks is to experience Icelandic food and culture in what feels like a home.
15:23Chef Fraun Freyr Vyfusson even went as far as salvaging the cabinets from his grandparents' kitchen.
15:30The countertop dining room seats a modest 16 people with only one seating a night.
15:37So I think we'll start with champagne, right?
15:41Can I ask, so how you guys know each other?
15:44I was doing a first time, like a TV series, and she was playing the main role there.
15:50But I was behind the scenes.
15:51I was just doing the food.
15:53You were the consultant, or?
15:54Yes.
15:55It's kind of like a crime fine dining show called the Reykjavik Fusion.
15:59It was fun.
16:00Something new.
16:00I've never done anything like this.
16:03Many years ago, I did a movie called Big Night with Stanley Tucci, and I was the chef.
16:08It was great.
16:09It actually is what kind of lit a fire under me and inspired me to get into cooking.
16:14And I've been, I've been into it ever since.
16:20What are you whipping up here for us, Tharauwen?
16:22Tharauwen bread, deep-fried bread in the shape of a tartalette.
16:27And then we have the lamb tartar.
16:29Lamb tartar.
16:31Yeah.
16:32Now comes the main part here of the ceremony.
16:35Dung-smoked lack of lamb.
16:37With dung?
16:38Yeah.
16:39Hold, please.
16:40Dung?
16:41This was definitely not on my fine dining bingo card, but when in Iceland.
16:46Here we go.
16:47Here we go.
16:47Okay, and I can't even begin to describe all the things that are going on in there.
16:57Historically, Iceland had very few forests and many, many sheep.
17:01So Icelanders smoked meat with dung instead of wood.
17:06That was perfect.
17:07Ready for the next one?
17:09Yes.
17:09We're going for a monkfish.
17:11You don't have to worry about it being a seasonal dish, right?
17:13No, that helps us here.
17:15Like, 98% of it's seasonal that we just focus on when we can.
17:19It's our lamb from September to November, and then we do reindeer, and then the duck.
17:25So we just have it all planned out.
17:27We have to think ahead.
17:28Yeah.
17:28Way ahead.
17:32Whoa.
17:33It's a magic trick.
17:35Oh, here we are.
17:36For this little sauce.
17:40Oh my god, that's so good.
17:42That sauce is really something.
17:45Since I did my series monk and be in a restaurant, no matter what I ordered,
17:51they would send out complimentary monkfish.
17:54Of course.
17:55Of course.
17:56So you've had many.
17:57I've had a lot of monkfish in my day, but not...
18:02Not like this?
18:03Not like this monkfish.
18:04Not like this monkfish.
18:06Watching Therowen and all of this creativity and the success of your work, your career,
18:13I'm noticing this sort of surge in the arts in general.
18:18I think it's really in our DNA for some reason.
18:21Um, and I'm not totally sure why, but maybe, you know, one of the theories is that on a sort of
18:27isolated island, you know, you've got to find ways to, to entertain yourself.
18:31You have an outlet.
18:32Yeah, have an outlet.
18:32Sure.
18:33I think it's like this bit of a manic element in us, like people that came and wanted to live in the,
18:39on an island in the middle of nowhere.
18:41Adventurous and risk-takers, which is what art is all about.
18:45Yeah, true.
18:48Oh my God, I want to lick this plate.
18:51Ah, saved by the bread.
18:53My monkfish sauce won't be wasted.
18:55Tell me what this bread is made of.
18:58So this is kind of a hybrid version of a saoto and croissant.
19:01Oh.
19:02Just more for the sauce afterwards.
19:04The crust of this is savory and sweet, salty, and almost chocolatey.
19:14Mmm.
19:16Now we're moving into a dessert.
19:18Oh.
19:19So we're doing, using our Icelandic wasabi.
19:21Ah.
19:22Wasabi?
19:23It's kind of the case of kind of a lot of dessert in Iceland are not as sweet as you would find in
19:28France.
19:29It used to be really hard, like, to get really like, like, I mean, sugar.
19:32I mean, even though we import a lot of food and, you know, it's, we're sort of in the middle
19:36of nowhere in some ways.
19:38I just remember being here in the summer and it was, when you're riding around every bend,
19:45there's a new landscape.
19:47Yeah.
19:47I know there's so many things in like one square kilometer.
19:50You might have like a volcano, green patches, a glacier, ice, you know, the sea, like lava fields.
19:58If when you grow up in that landscape and that energy, we change quickly and we're all a bit
20:02like, ah, it'll be fine.
20:03And we don't think in long terms, you know, really.
20:07Because the environment is so kind of mercurial and changeable.
20:11You have to be adaptable.
20:13It's got to seep down into the psyche of the population.
20:18I think so.
20:19You're not allowed to do this at home?
20:21Oh my God.
20:24Can you do the ears next time?
20:25A spicy wasabi curd is the bottom layer of Frauen's dazzling dessert.
20:32It's topped with fresh shaved wasabi from local greenhouses
20:35and then hit with extremely cold liquid nitrogen.
20:40It's a magic, it's like a close-up magic place.
20:42Oh, whoa!
20:43So good and it's deeply flavorful.
20:56Yeah, mm-hmm.
20:56Utterly unexpected is how I'd sum up this truly only an Iceland meal.
21:03Every course offered up culinary artistry, making an indelible impression.
21:08Lauren, I can't thank you enough.
21:10That was just extraordinary.
21:13Cheers.
21:13Cheers.
21:14Cheers.
21:21Reykjavik is like nowhere else I've ever been.
21:24It's a unique balance of modern and quaint, but even more impressive is its booming bakery scene.
21:32My next stop is one of the city's most popular bakeries, and it's been in the very same spot,
21:37making some of the very same bread for over a century.
21:42Are you Stefan?
21:43Yeah.
21:44I'm Tony.
21:45Welcome.
21:46Pleasure to meet you.
21:47I feel like your shop.
21:50Smells good.
21:51It looks beautiful.
21:52And it tastes good.
21:54I can't promise you that.
21:57Taste and the bread-making traditions of four generations are what Stefan Sandholz's
22:02family business prides itself on.
22:05We have been here since 1920.
22:081920.
22:09Were those people a part of my grandfather?
22:12Married a Norwegian woman and moved to Iceland and built this house.
22:20So this started out as a house?
22:22Yes.
22:23First floor is the bakery.
22:26Second floor and third floor was their departments.
22:30That's incredible coincidence, because my grandparents had a candy store,
22:36and they lived above it in Wisconsin, where I'm from.
22:38Yeah.
22:39Live upstairs, work downstairs.
22:41Yeah, yeah.
22:42Shall we go in?
22:43Sure.
22:44Let's go.
22:45The Sandholz baking family has grown over the years to include people like master baker
22:51Bianca Zhang, who has spent over a decade learning the ropes from Stefan.
22:56What are you making here?
22:57This is clay now.
22:58So I cut it like a diamond shape.
23:01I cut a hole in the middle.
23:02Yes.
23:03And I fold the corner inside and like this.
23:07That is fantastic.
23:08So I have equal sides.
23:09Can I try that?
23:10Yeah, of course.
23:11I would love to see if I can do that.
23:12Of course.
23:14So there's my diamond.
23:15Yes.
23:18That's great.
23:18And then the center.
23:19And then if I got that right, you flipped it inside.
23:22Fold the corner inside and pull it out.
23:25And pull it through.
23:26Mine doesn't look quite as good.
23:28We'll fry this one, and you will eat it, and it will be delicious.
23:30Okay.
23:31Delicious?
23:32Sure.
23:33But the perfectionist in me needs them to look flawless, too.
23:36This one is perfect.
23:39One out of seven.
23:40That's not bad.
23:41I'm no mathematician, but that actually is pretty bad.
23:45I see you just lay them in.
23:46You don't flop them.
23:47Then I just wait for them to float up.
23:50Oh, I see.
23:50Yes.
23:51I see they're puffing up.
23:52These puffed up really fast.
23:53Expanding a lot.
23:54Yeah.
23:56When I was 17, I worked in a bakery where we made donuts, but you released a certain amount
24:02of batter into the fryer.
24:04Yes, I've seen that.
24:05Oh, yeah.
24:06I think I kind of messed that one up a little bit.
24:08I have to eat that one, and that one, and that one.
24:12Okay.
24:13I think we should try to break the first one to see if it's really done.
24:16Yes.
24:19It's perfect.
24:20It's beautiful.
24:21Cheers.
24:29So good.
24:29Perfectly delicious.
24:32You guys got something good going here.
24:34And now I understand exactly why this 105-year-old establishment is thriving.
24:41Only thing now is the cold milk.
24:44Where's the cold milk?
24:46All right.
24:53Good call.
24:54Now we are talking.
24:55Iceland's history is filled with food stories, and another fascinating chapter is that of
25:06the herring girls.
25:09One of the greatest figures in that story is Alta Maller.
25:13Hi.
25:14Hi, Alta.
25:15Good to see you, Tony.
25:15I'm Tony.
25:16Alta played a vital role in helping to transform Iceland's economy, specifically through pickled
25:24herring.
25:26Herring.
25:26It's, um...
25:28I love herring.
25:29It is an acquired taste, actually.
25:32Tell me what, uh, what's happening here.
25:34Yeah.
25:36These are homemade blinis.
25:38Blinis are a Russian mini pancake most commonly eaten with caviar.
25:43This is actually what I would call a herring salad.
25:46It's got cream cheese, dill, and it's got some roe, pink roe.
25:51Ah, I thought I saw roe in there.
25:54Yeah.
25:56I love that.
25:58Herring is usually not a standalone dish, so Alta prepared a mini buffet, if you will,
26:04of Icelandic white shrimp on fried bread, pickled herring on rye.
26:09The herring is outstanding.
26:12And smoked salmon and cream cheese on a cracker.
26:16Mustard and curry herring are quite common.
26:21Here we go.
26:26It's fantastic.
26:27This rye bread, by the way, is excellent.
26:31Alta's herring expertise goes far beyond this beautiful spread.
26:36Six decades ago, when the herring industry was booming, she was among the many locals working on
26:43the pier at just 11 years old.
26:46How long a work day was this, I'm almost afraid to ask?
26:51So the ships would be bringing the herring, and it was unheard of to leave your station
26:58until it was all done.
26:59And it would be 16 hours, even at that age.
27:01No kidding.
27:04Yes, yes.
27:06During the summers of 1910 to 1968, Icelandic fishermen were catching and offloading
27:13literal tons of herring in the small northern town of Siklufjordr, 230 miles northeast of Reykjavik.
27:22When you did become a herring girl, tell me what your impact and your role was in that time.
27:29Basically, this work couldn't be done without women.
27:33Young herring girls were called to action.
27:36Their job was to process herring before it spoiled.
27:39Most of the local men were at sea fishing, and there weren't enough women in the small town to get
27:45the job done.
27:46Look at this picture here under the album. This is in 1959. I was 11.
27:52That's my mother. That's me.
27:55That's you.
27:56That's me.
27:57You're cleaning it, right?
27:59We are cutting the head off and cleaning the guts out.
28:04And the tail?
28:04No, not the tail.
28:06You leave the tail?
28:07Yeah.
28:07Okay.
28:08And then we mix it with a lot of salt and arrange it in barrels.
28:13But it finished very abruptly in 1968.
28:18That was the year the herring population collapsed due to warming waters and overfishing.
28:23The government began focusing on sustainability, limiting the amount of fish being caught.
28:29This allowed the herring to slowly return and prevented overfishing of other species.
28:35And that wasn't the only big change.
28:38This industry was the first to get equal pay for women when they did hourly work.
28:44So women doing the same work as men got the same pay.
28:47No kidding.
28:49Her time with the herring made such an impact that Alta devoted her career to fishery science,
28:56proving just how tied to the land and sea, in this case, Icelanders really are.
29:03Fantastic.
29:04Do you like some more?
29:05I could finish the entire plate if you let me.
29:08So beautiful.
29:21Oh, my God.
29:22I'm so excited.
29:24My daughter Sophie has flown in from upstate New York to join me for the rest of my time in Iceland.
29:30After all, her obsession with horses is what brought us here in the first place.
29:34Hi.
29:35Good morning.
29:36Good morning.
29:36Hello.
29:37I'm Tony.
29:38Welcome.
29:38Hi.
29:39Hi.
29:39Nice to meet you.
29:40Sophie, it's nice to meet you.
29:41Paulina.
29:42Paulina.
29:42Yeah, welcome.
29:43Paulina Njarvik is a sheep farmer near the small town of Selfos, about 20 miles east of Reykjavik.
29:51Hi.
29:52This is Christy.
29:53Does she help with the herding?
29:55Well, yes, but she's not great at it, but she's better than nothing.
29:59This is beautiful.
30:01Back home, I actually have my own business, primarily horseback riding.
30:05Oh, that's nice.
30:06But we're trying to grow more sustainability and live more off the farm.
30:11That's great, to be self-sufficient.
30:12Mm-hmm.
30:13Yeah, that's the goal.
30:14And this has been your home from the time you were born?
30:19The farm has been in my family for seven generations, I think, something like that.
30:24Really?
30:25Since 1800-something.
30:27The sheep have always been a part of this farm?
30:30The first people that came to Iceland brought their sheep.
30:32And living in Iceland back in the days was difficult.
30:35Of course.
30:36And the sheep kept people alive, both by keeping them warm and keeping them fed.
30:41So I don't think we would be here today without the sheep.
30:45The Vikings brought sheep to Iceland in the 9th and 10th century.
30:49And because the species has been isolated for a thousand years, this breed is now one of the
30:54oldest and purest in the world.
30:57So the Icelandic sheep has developed here.
31:00And they have long legs, good in the snow.
31:02They have very, very special wool.
31:05It's totally adapted to this environment and evolved.
31:08Yeah, sturdy.
31:10But speaking of them, they're probably going bonkers because they're hungry.
31:14So we need to go feed them.
31:15Let's do that.
31:15Get to it.
31:33They're definitely happy to get their food.
31:35Yes.
31:35It's nice when your food is appreciated.
31:39They appreciate you very much.
31:41I kind of feel like a bit of a rock star.
31:43You're making their day with the breakfast.
31:45Yeah.
31:46Which sheep is this?
31:47Sekla.
31:48Sekla.
31:49Yeah.
31:49And this is Sunna.
31:50She is probably my favorite.
31:54And she's deaf.
31:56But I still talk to her a lot.
31:58Well, she probably reads lips.
32:00I think so.
32:00Yeah.
32:02I'm going to have to get a few sheep of my own and learn to knit.
32:06Sophie and I are going to meet up with Paulina's family for a meal.
32:10But first, are we going to make some bread?
32:13Yes.
32:13We're going to make flatkaka.
32:15Paulina's mom, Sikka, is going to show me how to make one of Iceland's oldest and most common breads.
32:22So this is your recipe here.
32:24Yes.
32:24Flatkaka literally translates into flat cake.
32:28But it's a misnomer because it is indeed a bread.
32:31One that dates back to the ninth century.
32:34It's a basic unleavened bread made with bran and boiling water.
32:38Would you like to try?
32:39Sure.
32:39I'd love to try.
32:41The secret, I'm told, to perfect flatkaka is to make it thin, but not too thin.
32:47Wow.
32:48I'm happy with that.
32:49Can I take it outside?
32:50No.
32:51Let's take it outside.
32:52Flatkaka has always been a staple for Icelanders herding their sheep on horseback.
32:57Traditionally cooked over fire, here, the bread is in the hands of Paulina's dad, Axel, a.k.a. the grill master.
33:05See the smoke?
33:07If I press down, it starts to burn.
33:09Yes.
33:10And you can see the burning now.
33:12I'm not going to take the blame for that.
33:15That's on you.
33:16Yes.
33:18Ooh.
33:19Yeah, that's quite burned.
33:24I've used to cook homemade tortillas with my friend and their family from Guatemala,
33:29and they kind of did the same thing where it would bubble up and...
33:32Ooh, that's looking good.
33:33That's not nice.
33:34Kind of similar.
33:34That's looking really good.
33:36I can't believe how fun this is.
33:39I think we finally got it.
33:42Okay, maybe not.
33:45I'll take the heat for that one.
33:48Let's go eat.
33:51Whenever you think of Iceland or you're talking about Iceland when we're home,
33:55you know, I think people imagine you have this old, old culture,
34:00and yet it feels very progressive in a lot of ways.
34:04For people of our generation, we grew up with a female president,
34:08and that was the most normal thing in the world.
34:11She was a president for 16 years, so she shaped decades of girls.
34:15She was the first woman in the entire world to be democratically elected as head of state.
34:28Our generation, we have so much to be thankful to these women because they paved the way.
34:34Actually, she spent all of her summers during her childhood here at this farm with my great-grandparents,
34:41so when she was traveling around the country trying to get people to vote for her,
34:46she could speak to the farmers.
34:48So, I think...
34:49She was the true woman of the people.
34:51Yeah.
34:51That makes complete sense.
34:55All right, can I take one of those yet, or is it not time?
34:58You like the dark?
34:59I do like the dark one. Is that okay?
35:01Yeah, it's okay.
35:02I'm going to put a little, try a little of this on there.
35:04That's a good start.
35:05Interesting.
35:07I think this is the first and only time we have this kind of recipe on a flat caca.
35:13Really?
35:13I was going to say, I've never seen anyone put a jam on it,
35:15but I'm excited to know how it is.
35:18I just may be a flat caca trendsetter.
35:21That, or they all think I'm nuts.
35:24I highly recommend it.
35:25I don't know if it's an American thing,
35:27but I feel like we'll put butter and jam on just about any flavor of bread there is,
35:32without thinking.
35:34Tony's special.
35:35It's a Tony's special.
35:36I'll try it.
35:48Hello!
35:48Hey!
35:49Hey!
35:5016 years?
35:51Sophie, my wife Brooke, and I are reconnecting with the Sirionsome family
35:56at their sprawling horse ranch near Hetla, 60 miles southeast of Reykjavik.
36:02I don't know which one.
36:03I'll go through.
36:04I'm trying to imagine whether you're going to be a horse.
36:07Guess Brooke and I missed the matching sweater's memo.
36:10The story starts when I was doing my show.
36:12I was doing Monk, and our sound engineer, he had a picture on his cart of this horse.
36:19And I said, oh my God, my daughter Sophie loves horses.
36:23What is that?
36:23And he said, oh, you have to meet the Icelandic horse.
36:27So that led us to you guys.
36:29And then we were steeped in the world of Icelandic horses.
36:33You know, then she started getting the passion.
36:35Yeah.
36:35And then she started craving more.
36:37Sophie's passion is what led us as a family to come here for a five-day trek
36:42on Icelandic horses.
36:44It was an unbelievable trip.
36:46Experiencing the Icelandic horse in his element here in Iceland
36:51is completely out of this world.
36:52Much like Icelandic sheep, the Icelandic horse has been purebred
36:58since the Vikings brought them here in the ninth century.
37:03Well, that's perfect.
37:04That's perfect.
37:11Ah, yeah.
37:13Looking nice.
37:14So great.
37:15Are you comfortable?
37:16Yes, very.
37:19Okay, let's do it.
37:20Rock and roll.
37:23Throughout history, the horses have been crucial to survival.
37:27They're known for their strength and endurance,
37:30traits that were important for transporting goods across the island.
37:34They're looking good.
37:35Nice.
37:39Are we going to take a little break here?
37:41I brought the bread.
37:46Here, you want to give your horse some bread?
37:47Yeah.
37:51The horses got their bread.
37:52Now it's time for us to get ours.
37:56What is this called?
37:57It's a traditional Icelandic dish, and Frida, Stainer's mother, has her own legendary take on it.
38:13Roll is it, you know, you roll it, you know, like this.
38:18That makes sense.
38:18And terta, because, yeah, actually, I don't know why it is called terta, because terta means cake.
38:25Okay, but it's not cake.
38:27No, it is bread.
38:28Is it just a wheat flour, or is it a different kind of flour?
38:31This one is wheat flour.
38:32Okay.
38:33Yeah.
38:33And the stuff that we put into it, it is melted cheese with ham, cream cheese, and a little bit
38:40Mexico cheese.
38:41How many kinds of cheese in there?
38:43Three, three ones.
38:44And then we will put the fourth one over it.
38:46Yeah.
38:47Good.
38:48Kenna, never have too much cheese.
38:50Yeah.
38:51Thin layer, right?
38:52Yeah.
38:53Because if it is too much, then it is going, you know.
38:57It's going to ooze out, right?
38:58Yeah.
38:59We traditionally make this, like, if we have birthday parties or anniversaries.
39:03It's a special occasion celebration bread.
39:07Then you do like this.
39:08Next, we roll the bread into, well, a roll, and slather it with some whipped egg whites.
39:16Kind of fluff it on there.
39:17Which serve as a glue, if you will, to hold even more cheese as it's baked.
39:2220 minutes later, presto.
39:25Shall we?
39:26Cheers to the...
39:27To Frida.
39:28Good job on your Icelandic bread.
39:36Oh, my God.
39:37That's really...
39:38That's really good.
39:40I love that.
39:41I've never had anything like that.
39:43Have you?
39:43Mm.
39:44When we lived in Los Angeles, Sophie looked it up and found that she was allowed to ride anywhere.
39:50So she'd ride down the street, go left on Hollywood Boulevard, and tie up at the cappuccino place that she liked.
40:01Into her own little Iceland there.
40:03Yeah.
40:03Yeah.
40:04And now you're experiencing the Icelandic horse here in Iceland.
40:08Do you see any difference in the environment?
40:11I think for me being here, this is such a romantic experience, being in what feels like such an ancient place,
40:19and connecting with the Icelandic horse where they've been.
40:23You almost feel like you're, you know, a viking on the horse and, you know, the mountains in the back
40:28and the wind blowing through your face. It's more of a profound experience for sure.
40:33Like here in Iceland, horses, you know, they are actually, you know, just hooked in our DNA here in Iceland.
40:40So, you know, life is horses and horses are life. That's how, you know, we live with them here.
40:47Icelandic horses just capture your heart in a different way.
40:51I love that.
40:52I love that, too. And you know what else I love? The multiple desserts that are calling my name.
41:00Carrot cake, a layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, an apple chocolate cake, and a date cake.
41:07If this meal doesn't send us into a happy food coma, I'm not sure what will.
41:12Throw that on my plate. I'll have that piece. I have three more cakes I need to try.
41:16Now that we're...
41:17Oh, please. No, I can't.
41:19One more.
41:20It's really, really special to have Sophie here and Brooke here.
41:27Just reconnecting with all of you makes me feel like we need to come back to Iceland
41:36on a more, you know, not wait another 16 years.
41:40Yeah, that would be nice.
41:42Sharing bread and incredibly creative dishes ripped from and inspired by Iceland's epic landscape,
41:50with friends old and new, has been nothing short of extraordinary.
41:56I know deep down this land of fire and ice will lure me back again and again.
42:02I think we need to go for another ride, Tony, to work all these calories off.
42:06I'm in.
42:10I think we need to be in.
42:13Yeah.
42:17I'm coming back.
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