Food, Culture, Vinarterta
Celebrate 150 Years of Icelandic Settlement
Sep
Celebrate 150 Years of Icelandic Settlement
In 1875, Icelanders left their turf houses for the shores of Lake Winnipeg, where they pioneered the settlement of New Iceland.
Our ancestors raised the original daughters of New Iceland and sons of the finest fishermen and farmers who preserved and created cultural and culinary traditions we continue today.
Our culture is built on long-lasting rituals for striving and thriving as ‘Perpetual Pioneers’. We have learned how important it is to repeat what is working successfully, establish new and better ideas when inspired and needed, and in this way, nothing has changed in 1000 years.
In part, we are what we eat. We have millennia-old traditions of ‘nothing wasted parts of smoked, cured, salted, dried and brined lamb and fish. We are made of flowing milk, butter, skyr, cheese and whey. We are made of gathered birds, eggs, moss, grass, berries and fruit. We are made of Harðfiskur, Rúllupylsa and Pönnukökur. Although mostly, we are Vínarterta. 🙂
The daughters and sons of New Iceland possess, and their descendants do too, an unshakeable vision and understanding of the power of connection forwards and backwards in time and space. They are the seekers of stopping time, of creating and recreating moments of experiential family and community connection as we celebrate150 years of Icelandic settlement.
They are part of a strong tradition that provides value and creates impact through expressions of love through food, culture, and industry.
The coherent Vinarterta message of pure love and pioneer spirit synonymous with Icelandic North American culture has strengthened the connection between those of Icelandic descent here and in Iceland.
Continuous recreation of Vinarterta, an expression of love and perseverance is a symbolic expression of unconditional love and aspirations for family, a giving of time and care, and of connection to the holders of the vision, the keepers of the symbol, makers of the tangible evidence of where we came from, and the possibility of where we can go, which is infinite.
The ancestral cake of the pioneers who left Iceland in 1875 is evidence of the treasured repeated action of making Vinarterta, which upholds the value of maintaining good and happy experiences and points to a high level of importance of food and cultural experiences for their families, regardless of circumstance.
Our ancestors, all of us today, and our descendants are perpetual pioneers, the daughters of New Iceland, and the sons of thefinest fisherman and farmers. All worthy of Celebration.
We invite you to celebrate150 years of Icelandic settlement with us by sharing our Vinarterta, an Icelandic Canadian tradition since 1875.
We look forward to making your cakes!
Sending lots of love,
P.S. The photo is of the farm and historic site Glaumbaer in North Iceland, home of Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir (980-1050). 25X Langa Lang Amma, Great Grandmother to many of us.
