{"id":4438,"date":"2015-09-10T16:57:13","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T16:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=4438"},"modified":"2015-09-10T17:01:45","modified_gmt":"2015-09-10T17:01:45","slug":"rettir-the-annual-sheep-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2015\/09\/10\/rettir-the-annual-sheep-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"R\u00e9ttir, the annual sheep roundup."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5972351316_c2fa016f68_b\"<\/a>

Lamb heart by stu_spivack at Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Food is my favourite way of following how the seasons change. Earlier this week as I was grocery shopping I realized the early autumn was here, summer was now entirely over though some sunny days might still be in store for us, and that it was time to go get the warm clothes out and pack summer wear for storage. Fresh lamb\u00a0hearts gave me the hint.<\/p>\n

For the whole summer Icelandic sheep have been grazing in the wild, left to their own devices on mountains and meadows. Some sadly end up as road kill because Icelandic sheep bear an unfortunate combination of agility, speed and stupidity; if you see a sheep by the side of the road slow down. Do not expect that a sheep running away from the road won’t, at the last minute, do a quick 180\u00b0 turn and leap majestically under your tires, killing themselves in process. Likewise if there’s a ewe on one side and lamb on the other you can bank on the lamb to dart across the\u00a0road\u00a0just as you’re almost passing\u00a0them.<\/p>\n

The sheep crashes\u00a0are\u00a0soon over though\u00a0now that\u00a0they’re all being brought in\u00a0for the autumn. People already in Iceland, mark the oncoming weekends as a no-drive time, because especially on the countryside some roads will be entirely taken up by sheep and people on horses that are rounding them up and bringing them home. These groups can be surprisingly large as the main idea is that you bring everyone’s sheep in in one go, as many as you happen to find, the sorting happens later on.<\/p>\n

\"4988019810_bf495ccef3_b\"<\/a>

R\u00e9ttir by karawho at Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Sheep sorting, or r\u00e9ttir<\/em>, is a popular autumn “sport” and foreigners are warmly welcomed to partake! You’ll have to contact a farm first and ask them about it, but usually they’re only happy to have a few pairs of extra hands volunteering for help – food is normally\u00a0provided for all workers and a party afterwards, but the actual work is no-pay. It’s also heavy work, you’ll get very tired, dirty and sweaty\u00a0at it, so it’s good to choose your clothes with that in mind.<\/p>\n

Here’s some schedules for this years r\u00e9ttir:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The whole country’s r\u00e9ttir according to the area here<\/a>. (Icelandic)<\/strong>
\n South-Iceland r\u00e9ttir\u00a0here<\/a>. (English)<\/strong><\/p>\n

R\u00e9ttir starts by bringing all the sheep to a round fence that’s also called a r\u00e9ttir. It has a round space in the middle and sections around it, each belonging to one farmer. The people working in the r\u00e9ttir catch sheep in the middle, check the ears for marks on whose sheep it is and then try to convince the sheep to walk to its own section, which they rarely are willing to do. A typical way is to throw one leg over the sheep’s back, grab it by the horns and try to steer it to a correct direction… well, that’s after you first catch it. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n

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R\u00e9ttir by karawho at Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Want to see a r\u00e9ttir in action? Here’s a few great videos!<\/p>\n

G\u00f6ngur og r\u00e9ttir \u00ed Helgafellssveit 2014<\/em> (roundup and sheep-sorting in Helgafellssveit 2014)(link<\/a>).
\nG\u00f6ngur og r\u00e9ttir \u00ed Vesturfj\u00f6llum<\/em> (roundup and sheep-sorting in Vesturfjall)(link<\/a>)
\nGaman \u00ed r\u00e9ttunum<\/em>. (fun at the sheep-sorting)(link<\/a>)
\nIcelandic sheep roundup. (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Some sheep are already brought back, which means that now there’s fresh, cheap meat at grocery stores, especially the kind that you won’t see as much for the rest of the year like the aforementioned hearts. Sheep hearts are tender and have a mild flavour, fast to cook and don’t cost much. They’re also fast and easy to prepare: clean them first by removing extra fat and the big veins on top, cut open and wash thoroughly under cold water.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In fact, as an autumn theme I thought it’d be fun to share Icelandic recipes with you, dear readers! I’ll attach one to the end of each post, and although the first one may not be everyone’s favourite I’m sure there’ll be\u00a0find something for everyone. The only situation where Icelandic recipes fail is vegan diet (Iceland is badly suited for agriculture, thus traditional diet relied on animal protein) but if it’s at all possible to create a recipe without using animal protein I’ll include those instructions as well. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Hulda recommends<\/strong>\"hulda078\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lambahj\u00f6rtu<\/em>\/ Lamb Hearts<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 msk ol\u00eda<\/em> (= 2 tbsp oil)
\n2 beikonsnei\u00f0ar<\/em> (= 2 slices of bacon)
\n1 laukur<\/em> (= 1 onion)
\n3-4\u00a0lambahj\u00f6rtu<\/em>\u00a0(= 3-4 lamb hearts)
\n3 msk hveiti<\/em> (= 3 tbsp wheat flour)
\nsalt eftir smekk\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>(salt according to taste)
\nn\u00fdmala\u00f0ur pipar<\/em> (= ground pepper)
\n1 dl t\u00f3mats\u00f3sa<\/em>\u00a0(= 1 dl crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce)
\n1 dl rj\u00f3mi<\/em> (= 1 dl cream)<\/p>\n

Skeri\u00f0 beikon, lauk og lambahj\u00f6rtu \u00ed snei\u00f0ar.\u00a0Hiti\u00f0 ol\u00edu \u00e1 st\u00f3rri p\u00f6nnu og steiki\u00f0 beikon \u00ed 2 m\u00edn. B\u00e6ti\u00f0 \u00fe\u00e1 vi\u00f0 lauk og steiki\u00f0 \u00ed 2 m\u00edn.<\/em><\/p>\n

(= Cut bacon, onion and lamb heart to pieces. Heat oil in a pan and fry bacon for 2 min. Add onion and fry for 2 min.)<\/p>\n

Velti\u00f0 hj\u00f6rtum upp \u00far hveiti, salti\u00f0 og kryddi\u00f0 me\u00f0 pipar.\u00a0B\u00e6ti\u00f0 hj\u00f6rtum\u00a0\u00e1 p\u00f6nnuna og steiki\u00f0 \u00ed 2 m\u00edn.\u00a0B\u00e6ti\u00f0 t\u00f3mats\u00f3su\u00a0og rj\u00f3ma \u00e1 p\u00f6nnuna og l\u00e1ti\u00f0 sj\u00f3\u00f0a \u00ed 2 m\u00edn.<\/em><\/p>\n

(= Roll the hearts in wheat flour, top with salt and pepper. Add hearts to pan and fry 2 min. Add tomato sauce and cream and let boil for 2 min.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Food is my favourite way of following how the seasons change. Earlier this week as I was grocery shopping I realized the early autumn was here, summer was now entirely over though some sunny days might still be in store for us, and that it was time to go get the warm clothes out and…<\/p>\n

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