From the Caribbean we move sharply north to visit the largest island in the world – Greenland. Only 58,000 people live on more than 2 million square meters, which is normal given the extreme living conditions here. Over 80% of the territory is frozen. Although the country’s name means “green land” much of its territory is covered in ice all year round,
Greenland was unknown to Europe until the 10th century, when it was accidentally discovered by Norwegian Vikings, who confused the road to Iceland. The direct ancestors of the modern Inuit arrived around 1200. For hundreds of years, the Inuit were the only inhabitants of Greenland, but Denmark, based on the memory of the Viking settlement, claimed territory and colonized the island in the 18th century. During World War II, Greenland was socially and economically separated from Denmark and became closer to the United States and Canada. After the war, control was returned to Denmark. Although Greenland is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark, since 1979 it has enjoyed internal autonomy. The United States has a strong interest in the island. After World War II, they offered Denmark to buy Greenland, but the Danes refused.
It all started in the 50s of last century. The Cold War was in full swing, and Washington decided it would secretly install nuclear missiles on the very doorstep of the Soviet Union. To do this, a team of military and scientists conducted several operations before identifying the most appropriate place for the purpose. The location of the future base is conveniently chosen – only 240 km from Thule Air Base. Since Greenland is Danish territory and the Danes do not want nuclear weapons on their land, a clever cover has been devised. Construction of the Camp Century Research Base begins. It is home to some of the best Western climatologists. Scientists are collecting samples of ice and the soil buried deep beneath it. Studies provide a map of Greenland 400,000 years ago. Detailed and revolutionary for its time climate models of the Earth have been made. However, all this is just a cover. Under the guise of an important scientific project, the US military is digging 21 large tunnels, with a total length of over 3 kilometers under the eternal Greenland ice. They are located at a depth of 15 meters, and in some of them is even installed a train. The dungeons are very wide and can accommodate large machines. Scientists and the military live in bungalows installed in the tunnels. Without Denmark’s knowledge and permission, the Americans installed a nuclear reactor that supplied the base with electricity and heat. Due to the small NPP “Camp Century” there is no need for regular deliveries of diesel, and the cold acts as a natural freezer and keeps the provisions in maximum condition. In practice, with a good charge, the base can survive for years without being visited by outsiders. Along with digging tunnels and installing a nuclear reactor, the military deployed missiles with nuclear warheads aimed at the Soviet Union. There are even special rooms for storing chemical and nuclear toxins. In 1953, Inuit families were forced by the Danish government to relocate to allow the base to expand. This became a source of tension between Denmark and the people of Greenland. It intensified after a nuclear accident in 1968 – a B-52 bomber with 4 hydrogen bombs crashed near the base and large amounts of plutonium leaked onto the ice. Although most of the plutonium has been collected, locals continue to talk about animal malformation.
Greenland became the first country to leave the European Union. She was accepted in 1972, and ten years later she wanted to leave. Until recently, I thought Britain was the first in this endeavor, but now I have learned that it is not.
Although it is customary to call the locals Eskimos, this is not their preferred name, nor does it have anything to do with their cultural heritage. First, either the French or the Danes use the word “Eskimo”, which means “eating raw meat”. Modern Inuit find the word Eskimo a racist name. Most of us heard of the “Eskimo kiss” and it is not uncommon for people to do it to each other as a sign of affection and love. However, the truth is that the Inuit do not rub their noses in a kiss, but to greet their loved ones, friends or relatives. It is a curious fact that Greenland does not participate in FIFA due to the fact that there are no green football fields in the country, despite the fact that they have a national football team.
Anthropologists say the Inuit have been eating the same thing for centuries. Their diet consists mainly of meat and fish (the most popular meat is that of deer), as they do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The northern peoples celebrate the Christmas holidays with kiviak. This terrifying dish enters the traditional cuisine of Greenland and a number of other northern nations. To be ready for consumption, the seagull-stuffed seal must stay in the ice for 7 months. The recipe is simple – you take a decapitated seal, fill its stomach with a plucked seagull and then freeze it in ice. During the stay in the ice, the seagull will be slowly broken down by enzymes in the mammal’s stomach to make the delicacy even tastier. The taste of the dish is like a very old and strong-smelling cheese. 😮
Suaasat is a traditional soup that is considered the national dish of Greenland. Blueberry compotes are available everywhere. After dinner you can enjoy a cup of Greenlandic coffee. Beer is another popular beverage. The ice beer, which is made with 2000 years of Arctic ice water, is unique.
I decided to make a cake that is in tune with the spirit of Greenland. Here are the necessary products:
for brownies:
200 grams of chocolate
100 grams of butter
4 eggs
250 grams of sugar
100 grams of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
for cream:
1 liter of vanilla ice cream
80 grams of peanuts
120 grams of raspberry jelly
80 grams of cherries
2 tablespoons cherry jam
100 grams of chocolate
100 grams of marshmallows
for topping:
200 grams of chocolate
125 ml condensed milk
50 grams of butter
2 tablespoons cream
for meringue:
315 grams of sugar (better powder)
4 proteins
2 tablespoons water
Steps of preparation:
Let’s make brownies first. Melt the chocolate and butter in a water bath. Cool.
Beat the eggs and sugar until white. Carefully add the chocolate mixture and the sifted flour with the baking powder. Bake in a pan lined with baking paper at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
You can buy jelly, or you can make it yourself. I did it myself. I put frozen raspberries and sugar on the stove.
I boiled the mixture until it thickened. I soaked the gelatin in cold water. I strained the raspberry mixture and added gelatin. I stirred until everything melted. I refrigerated for about 2 hours in the refrigerator. In fact, it turned out that the sugar was small quantity. So try the mixture and, if it is sour, add more sugar.
Put cake brownies is a serving dish. Allow the ice cream to soften slightly. Put the peanuts in a pan to brown a little. This way you will both easily peel them and they will become tastier. Crush the peanuts and put them together with the marshmallows in a pan on a low heat until the candies melt.
The mixture remains quite sticky and inconvenient to separate. Cut the jelly into slices. Mix ice cream with peanuts with marshmallows, jelly, cherries and jam. Spread the mixture on the brownies and leave the dish in the freezer for 4 hours.
Make the chocolate topping by heating the chocolate, condensed milk, butter and cream.
The mixture becomes thick.
Pour it over the cake and return to the freezer for another 6 hours.
It’s time to make a meringue. Heat the sugar on the stove until the temperature reaches 120 degrees.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until thick. When the sugar reaches the required temperature in a thin stream, pour it into the egg whites mixture and continue to beat until the mixture becomes thick and shiny.
Remove the cake from the freezer and place the meringue on top and on the sides.
If you have a kitchen burner, use it to burn a meringue.
If you don’t have no drama. Decorate the cake with jelly and cherry strips on top.
Put the cake in the freezer for storage.
This cake is interesting to taste – you have a rich chocolate cake, delicious vanilla ice cream and sweet and sour fruits. Here and there you can feel the crunchiness of peanuts. It’s not her season now. But I love ice cream and I have no problem eating it at any time of the year. If you feel cold now, do it in the summer, but be sure to try it. Greenland can’t be on my ToDo visit list because I don’t like being cold. Although I’ve been looking at magical photos of glaciers and radiances, I don’t think I would have caused all this cold for a few magical views. 🙂
Next destination – Georgia.
