Last week, my husband brought home from work an interesting thing I had never tried – Muktuck. Wikipedia says Muktuk is the English word for the traditional, pre-agrarian, Inuit/Eskimo and Chukchi meal of frozen whale skin and blubber. Muktuk is most often made from the skin and blubber of the Bowhead Whale, although the beluga and the narwhal are also used. It is usually eaten raw, but is occasionally finely diced, breaded, deep fried, and served with soy sauce.
I don’t know what kind of whale this was from. One of my husband’s co-workers was working on St. Lawrence Island and was given some by a resident there. She brought it in to work for everyone to try.
It was better than I thought, but probably not something I would care to eat again. The pink, fatty part was very fishy-tasting, and I didn’t like the melting, fatty texture. The black part is the skin. It was very very chewy, but had a pleasant taste. Maybe something like kelp or seaweed.
I’m always willing to try something new, and appreciate the person that decided to share this special delicacy with others.