Grindadráp in the Faroe Islands: A Controversial Opinion

September 2, 2019
// Best of YouFoundSarah, Destinations, Faroe Islands

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In my last post, I wrote about a magical evening I had in the Faroe Islands. Drew and I enjoyed making new friends and sharing a meal with them on their beautiful regatta boat. Our hosts shared their stash of pilot whale received from a grindadráp and made a beautiful roasted dish accompanied by potatoes, carrots, and tart sauces.

The grindadráp, or grind as it’s also called, is the opportunistic culling of migrating pilot whales for food. It can occur all year but happens mostly in the summer months. Annually, the Faroese kill around 650 pilot whales during the grind.

As you can imagine, this Faroese dish is pretty controversial. News stories continue to come out against eating pilot whale but the narrative is decidedly one-sided and myopic.

THE FAROE ISLANDS’ GRINDADRÁP: A HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY

Environmentalists and animal rights groups joined together in the 1980s to highlight and confront the grindadráp in the Faroe Islands. Since then, environmentalists have used science (not their morality barometer) to determine that they were wrong; pilot whales are not a threatened species and culling them, for non-commercial purposes, is perfectly sustainable.

Animal rights groups, however, are not so easily thwarted.

They continue to harass residents and call for boycotts to tourism and exported items. Some activists even threaten musicians who consider playing there. Most recently, Lewis Capaldi, a singer scheduled to headline the “G Festival,” pulled out because of the pressure put on him by these groups.

It’s frustrating that Capaldi is still scheduled to perform concerts in Spain and the UK. Spain, of course, has the Running of the Bulls (matadors are rewarded for excellent bull stabbing by receiving the bull’s ears and tail) and a cuisine focused on sucking pigs. In the UK, fox hunts were made illegal several years ago but the culture is so strong that hundreds of illegal fox hunts still occur annually purely for sport.

Some activists’ only concern is with the eating of cetaceans. They cry digital tears on social media over the loss of the pilot whale, while filling their Instagrams with posts of lobster rolls, bacon breakfasts, and ham sandwiches.

Some activists’ cry digital tears on social media over the loss of the pilot whale, while filling their Instagrams with posts of lobster rolls, bacon breakfasts, and ham sandwiches.

One post on Instagram said that the Faroese people have “no respect for the ocean.” But a quick scan of his Instagram page shows a video of the poster posing with a meal filled with noodles and … fish … entitled “Snapper dapper!” How callous for someone who respects the ocean so much.

Another post said “Beautiful country but sad people.” One of his last posts was of a soup featuring several large meatballs.

This poster describes himself as an “animal avenger” but wishes death on the Faroese: “Disgusting and worthless human trash ???????? they ALL should die a painful slow death ????????????”

Then there’s this woman who says she was considering visiting the Faroe Islands until she learned about the grind. Yet she “travels often” and visits other countries that kill animals for food and for sport. Shouldn’t she boycott them all?

Vegan protestors say that the Faroese people should stop eating meat altogether. However, in a country that gets very few sunny days per year, growing anything beyond root vegetables is next to impossible. In addition, shipping enough vegetables to sustain an island full of vegetarians would have a devastating financial and environmental impact.

Why should the Faroese people die a painful death for eating a completely sustainable food source?

Animal rights activists can enjoy lobster rolls.

Ignore me while I tell people they pillage the ocean while eating a fish from the ocean.

IT’S ALL WHAT YOU’RE USED TO

Pilot whales swim freely in open oceans every day and, because of this, their lives are spent in far better conditions than any cow, chicken, or pig we buy in a grocery store. Many of these farmed animals never see the light of day before they are killed en masse on a slaughterhouse floor.

I actually saw one comment on an image of the grind that said “Why do they have to kill animals? Why can’t they just buy their meat from the grocery store?”

From people who have never participated in or witnessed the slaughter of the animals they consume, these images obviously cause strong emotions. And while a bay stained red is stirring, so is that slaughterhouse floor.

How lucky are we to be so separated from our protein source?

How lucky are we to be able to sit back with our stocked fridges and our full bellies and judge what others eat?

A Matter of Perspective

Did you know that, in the United States, six million white-tailed deer (20% of the total deer population) are killed annually by 10 million hunters who spend more than $6 billion in guns, licenses, clothing, and other supplies to hunt them?

In the Faroe Islands, an average of 650 pilot whales (just 0.13% of the conservative estimated population of 500,000) are killed annually. This meat goes to feed the entire population of 50,000, including the elderly and impoverished.

There exists a stunning hypocrisy -- and a troubling prejudice -- in those who eat meat, but criticize a country for eating a completely sustainable, humanely killed animal.

NO ONE WANTS AN ANIMAL TO SUFFER

One benefit to all this attention from animal rights’ groups is that the Faroese people saw how their centuries-old killing methods could be updated and improved. Today, the individuals who actually kill the whales in the grindadráp must attend a class to learn how to do it correctly, efficiently, and humanely. Sadly that is more than we can say for some hunters in our own countries, isn’t it?

This class also teaches them how to use the mandatory spinal-cord lance, a veterinarian’s invention which severs the spinal cord of the whale and causes a much quicker and less painful death. The lance cuts off blood supply to the brain, resulting in a loss of consciousness and death within seconds. With these new techniques, it only takes a few seconds to kill each whale.

No one wants any animal to suffer. However, saying that an entire island nation is evil because of their protein source or saying that they should be vegetarians isn’t right either. I’m happy knowing that the whales led their lives wild and not in some factory. And, that when they were killed, it was done as humanely as possible.

There exists a stunning hypocrisy — and a troubling prejudice — in those who eat meat, but criticize a country for eating a completely sustainable, humanely killed animal.

Simplifying the grindadráp in this way is a one-sided, prejudiced way to make eating whale sound unnecessary and frivolous, and the Faroese people seem backward.

FINAL TAKEAWAYS ON THE GRINDADRÁP

>> THE GRINDADRÁP IS NOT A “TRADITION”

The grindadráp isn’t the same thing as Americans eating turkey at Thanksgiving, or eating hotdogs on the 4th of July. Calling the eating of whale in the Faroe Islands a tradition is like saying Americans have a tradition of eating chicken. It’s a protein source and a typical meal, not a tradition. Simplifying the grindadráp in this way is a one-sided, prejudiced way to make eating whale sound unnecessary and frivolous, and the Faroese people seem backward.

>> THE GRINDADRÁP IS NOT A “HUNT”

A hunt involves tracking, hiding, and planning. The grind only happens when whales are sighted by chance, and close enough to land to drive into the shores of shallow bays.

GET OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE WITH THESE RECIPES

Should you find yourself with some pilot whale meat in your refrigerator, I suggest the following recipes given to me by a wonderfully talented Faroese chef and new friend.

Whale Meat in Light Non-Alcoholic Beer

This is a homey, filling recipe that is an updated version of what grandmothers have been making for generations in the Faroe Islands.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Canola/Sunflower oil

10 slices Chorizo, cut thin (or 2 smoked bacon slices)

1 lb raw whale meat steaks

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

3 carrots (large)

2 pieces of clove

1 bunch/bundle of parsley

1 bunch/bundle of oregano (or thyme)

1 bay leaf

1 bottle non-alcoholic beer

1 can diced tomatoes

1 dollop cream

1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

12 peppercorns

Salt

Optional: parsley as a garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in the frying pan, cook chorizo for 1-2 minutes until slightly crispy. Take the chorizo out of the pan and put it into a pot. Keep the fat stay in the pan.
Pan-fry the whale meat and let it brown a bit.
Add the whale meat to the pot with the chorizo.
Pan-fry the onion until soft and translucent.
Combine the chorizo and onion to the pot with the whale meat. Add the parsley, oregano, and bay leaf.
Pour the non-alcoholic beer in the frying pan and let it come up to a simmer for a few minutes. Add it to the pot with the whale meat.
Empty the can of diced tomatoes into the pot and let everything simmer for 10-15 minutes until the meat is tender.
Add cream, salt, vinegar adjusting to preferences.
For spice, add a bit of chili powder.

Whaletaki with Balsamic Sauce

Whaletaki is fast and easy to make with good raw whale meat, cut into thin slices with a raw center. With spicy balsamic sauce, it is one of the tastiest ways to eat whale.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb raw whale meat

Coarse salt & pepper

Neutral vegetable oil

Balsamic sauce:

2-3 tbsp balsamic

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

1 lime

1 green onion

1 chili, finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp coriander, chopped

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

Cut the raw whale meat lengthwise (ensure that the slices are not too thick) and season with coarse salt and pepper.
Fry it in the pan on high heat for half a minute on each side. The meat will be lightly cooked but slightly raw on the inside
Cut the meat in thin slices (approximately ¼ inch).

For the Sauce:

This sauce is beautifully acidic but is balanced out with sweetness and spice from the balsamic, herbs and chili.
In a bowl, mix balsamic, soy sauce, lime, chili, garlic, coriander, and sesame seeds.
Pour a little bit of the sauce over the meat and decorate with chopped green onion.

Grindadráp in the Faroe Islands: A Controversial Opinion