Restaurateur says sheep heads belong on Christmas table

Guðröður Hákonarson, a restaurant owner at Hildibrand in the town of Neskaupstaður, says he would serve singed sheep heads on Christmas Eve. He has hosted a sheep-head feast in the town for 16 years, mbl.is reported. The 17th feast will be held on Saturday, with Guðni Ágústsson giving the ceremonial address.

“There is nothing better than sheep heads, nothing,” Guðröður said. At his childhood home, the family always ate them hot on the second day of Christmas because the children liked them so much.

To salt the heads, he adds fine salt to the cooking pot and tastes the broth once it boils. His mother taught him to keep adding salt until the broth tastes like seawater, he said. He serves the heads with mashed potatoes and green Ora peas.

He said it has become difficult to find sheep’s feet to serve alongside the heads. He cleans the heads as little as possible after singeing them, removing the blood and brain but leaving most of the skin. “It is healthy to eat a little ash,” he said.