CHANGING ICELAND

Some tourists choose to get close to whales and puffins by going on cruise tours, while others want to also consume them. Icelanders are, however, at a point of reckoning - how to balance traditional practices with contemporary realities.

- Jovianne Tan

Iceland Rethinking Tradition of Hunting, Eating Puffins

REYKJAVIK - The dim, warm lights illuminate the wooden tables dressed in homely floral tablecloths. Perched on a shelf by the counter is a taxidermy mount of the Atlantic Puffin bird, paying homage to the restaurant's best-selling traditional delicacy: smoked puffin breast with mustard sauce.

At first glance, 3 Frakkar is a quaint eatery tucked away in a residential area of Reykjavik that promises authentic Icelandic cuisine. Yet, the chatter that filled the room was not Icelandic, but a mix of English, German and French. The diners were not locals seeking comfort food - but visitors eager to sample the unique flavours of Iceland.

For many locals, however, eating puffin may be a thing of the past as climate change, habitat destruction and overhunting have reduced the supply of puffin meat, driving prices up.

"The last time I ate puffin was more than 20 years ago in the Westman Islands," said Mr Harald Isakssen, 63, a Reykjavik local. He cites the puffin's dwindling numbers as his main reason for not eating its meat.

The seabird with the bright orange beak and feet is a beloved national icon of Iceland, and can be found everywhere in the country of fewer than 400,000 people - on postcards, T-shirts, mugs and as stuffed toys in the windows of souvenir shops.

To see the real birds, however, tourists must join puffin tours which take them to islands where the puffins flock to nest in the summer months.

But visitors also want to eat them. To meet demand, restaurants source thousands of smoked puffins from hunters each summer, freezing the stock to last throughout the year.