Fishing and hunting are a core part of life for many Greenlanders, who have long known self-sufficiency and how to live off the land thanks to their Inuit ancestors. Traditional practices (including using sled dogs) are still widely embraced, though these are now supplemented by the latest technology and a wide range of food and goods shipped in from all over the world.
A selection of traditional Greenlandic foods – from the Hotel Sisimiut’s buffet
This need to import supplies and the isolation of the island makes the cost of living in Greenland very expensive, so residents use a range of strategies to try and conserve their money. These include:
- hunting and fishing their own meat
- investing in copious amounts of freezer space
- drying meats
- smoking meats
- foraging for other foods
- shopping the specials at the supermarket
We experienced several of these practices first-hand when we went on a weekend fishing trip with West Greenland Wildlife. The following blog posts detail our traditional Greenlandic experience on the Arctic Circle.
- Sassannguit – a traditional Greenlandic experience
- Fishing Arctic Char at Sassannguit
- Drying fish (Arctic Char) at Sassannguit
- Smoking fish (Arctic Char) at Sassannguit
- Foraging and hiking at Sassannguit
Sassannguit is located just south of Greenland’s second-largest city, Sisimiut. If you are planning to visit Sisimiut – make sure you read my Ultimate Travel Guide to Sisimiut over at Guide to Greenland.
Discover more about Greenland
I have a large number of blog posts about Greenland, so feel free to read more about my experiences here on my blog or on my Greenland-specific blog at Guide to Greenland.
For more information about Greenland, the best websites are Guide to Greenland (which is also a one-stop-shop for many of the tours available), and Visit Greenland, the Government tourism site.
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