Scan Magazine – August 2018

Issue 115 | August 2018 | 63

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Spotlight on Greenland

the modern society and its amenities,
everyone in Ilulissat maintains a close
relationship with nature.

The entire area around Ilulissat Fjord
feeds off the icebergs. “When they break
apart, they release oxygen into the air
and water, which helps microorganisms
to thrive and forms the basis for an in-
credible amount of marine biodiversity,”
Bjerregaard explains. “In turn, fish like
halibut feed off the microorganisms and
love the area – they grow massive here.”
Fishing is still a highly significant source
of income in Ilulissat, and visitors to
Hotel Arctic’s Restaurant Ulo can ex-

pect to taste some of the freshest, most

flavoursome fish they will ever encoun-

ter. The New Nordic restaurant’s chefs

are regular customers of the many fish-

ing boats nestled in between the col-

ourful houses that surround Ilulissat’s

harbour.

Nurture

“Our chefs really know how to get the

very best out of local ingredients – which

we actually have a lot of, from musk ox

to mussels and garden angelica from the

Island of Disko,” Bjerregaard explains.

“People may be surprised to hear that we

also grow our own fresh produce, such

as potatoes, and that cattle and sheep

farming is becoming quite widespread a

little further south, ironically due to the

warmer climate.”

While Bjerregaard and his colleagues

were very happy that Restaurant Ulo

made the White Guide, they have no

plans to try for Michelin stardom. “The

conditions here are just too inconsist-

ent – Michelin requires stability, and our

kitchen is all about inventing new meth-

ods of cooking and preservation and

regular menu change-ups to use what

is here. Although we do get some pro-

duce sent in weekly from North America