In addition to regular menu items like café latte, cakes and sandwiches you can order edible lava at Bræðraborg Café in the town of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. We contacted the maker of the edible lava Steff Hilty, who is the chef at Bræðraborg, to ask her about this exotic and unusual treat.
Steff tells us the lava rocks are not actually made with real rock: “The primary ingredients are liquorish, caramel and egg whites. It’s the egg whites who give the pieces it’s airy and crunchy feel, making them look like lava. The pieces look exactly like lava, and they even feel like lava in your hand, so people don’t believe they are actually edible until they bite into them!”
“The lava has been immensely popular among our guests, especially children! It is unbelievably funny to watch people’s reaction as they taste and try the lava.” She has yet to figure out how much the lava should cost, but she eventually aims at creating little gift bags. “They are brilliant as gifts, or as gag pieces. Imagine you are hiking somewhere in a lava field, and then pretend to just pick up a piece of rock, biting right into it!”
The idea for lava rocks isn’t Steff’s own: She saw them in a recipe book while working as an intern at Dill restaurant in Reykjavík, and decided they were a brilliant concept. She then decided to try them out at her restaurant Bræðraborg.
She has not yet added the lava to the menu of the café, primarily because the café doesn’t really have a menu. “What we offer is all out on display, so people just have to ask,” but also because I she wanted to offer customers a free sample “to have some fun.” The lava pieces have been very popular. “Just this morning a guy from Reykjavík walked in and bought all the rocks I had in the café. He was going to take them back South to have some fun with his friends!” she tells us laughing.
In addition to regular menu items like café latte, cakes and sandwiches you can order edible lava at Bræðraborg Café in the town of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. We contacted the maker of the edible lava Steff Hilty, who is the chef at Bræðraborg, to ask her about this exotic and unusual treat.
Steff tells us the lava rocks are not actually made with real rock: “The primary ingredients are liquorish, caramel and egg whites. It’s the egg whites who give the pieces it’s airy and crunchy feel, making them look like lava. The pieces look exactly like lava, and they even feel like lava in your hand, so people don’t believe they are actually edible until they bite into them!”
“The lava has been immensely popular among our guests, especially children! It is unbelievably funny to watch people’s reaction as they taste and try the lava.” She has yet to figure out how much the lava should cost, but she eventually aims at creating little gift bags. “They are brilliant as gifts, or as gag pieces. Imagine you are hiking somewhere in a lava field, and then pretend to just pick up a piece of rock, biting right into it!”
The idea for lava rocks isn’t Steff’s own: She saw them in a recipe book while working as an intern at Dill restaurant in Reykjavík, and decided they were a brilliant concept. She then decided to try them out at her restaurant Bræðraborg.
She has not yet added the lava to the menu of the café, primarily because the café doesn’t really have a menu. “What we offer is all out on display, so people just have to ask,” but also because I she wanted to offer customers a free sample “to have some fun.” The lava pieces have been very popular. “Just this morning a guy from Reykjavík walked in and bought all the rocks I had in the café. He was going to take them back South to have some fun with his friends!” she tells us laughing.
