The native
people of Alaska have a distinct version of ice cream. It's not creamy ice cream
as we know it, but a concoction made from reindeer fat or tallow, seal oil,
freshly fallen snow or water, fresh berries, and sometimes ground fish. Air is
whipped in by hand so that it slowly cools into foam. They call this Arctic
treat akutaq (ah-goo-duck), aqutuk, ackutuk, or Eskimo ice cream. Akutaq is a
Yupik word that means mix them together.
This is a delicacy that Alaska
Natives have thrived on for thousands of years. This recipe was made by Natives
a long, long time ago for survival and was used as a special traveling food.
When hunters went out to go hunting, they brought along akutaq.
Akutaq can also be made with moose
meat and fat, caribou meat and fat, fish, seal oil, berries and other Alaskan
things. Women traditionally made akutaq after the first catch of a polar bear or
seal. The grandmother or mother of the hunter would prepare the akutaq
and share it with the community members during special ceremonies.
Traditionally it was always made for funerals, potlatches, celebrations of a
boy's first hunt, or almost any other celebration. It is eaten as a dessert, a
meal, a snack, or a spread.
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1 cup
reindeer, caribou, or moose fat (back fat)*
1 cup animal oil (seal, walrus, or whale), divided
1/2 cup water or 2 cups loose snow
4 1/2 cups fresh berries
Grate or grind
fat into small pieces. In a large pot over low heat, add fat
and stir until it becomes a liquid (the fat should never get
hotter than it is comfortable to your hand). Add 1/3 cup
seal oil, mixing until it is all liquid. Remove from heat
and continue stirring the fat in big circles.
While
continuing to stir at a steady rate, add 1/4 cup water or 1
cup snow and another 1/3 cup seal oil. As fat slowly cools
and starts to get fluffy and white, add remaining 1/4 cup
water or 1 cup snow and remaining 1/3 cup seal oil,
continuing to stir.
When the
Akutaq is as white and fluffy as you can make it, fold in
berries. Form into desired shape. Cover and
freeze to firm up.
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* The type of fat
used determines how the Akutaq will taste and feel, as each animal has a
different type of fat. Well-aged yellow fat is usually preferred because it has
more flavor and whips up fluffier than does fresh fat. The ice cream can also be
sweetened with sweetener or with fruits. Meat and fish Akutaq are not usually
sweetened.
