Feed The Viking’s story began on a dark and stormy night. Huddled on an icy plateau, the Icelandic Search and Rescue team had been called out to help weary hikers make their way back down to safety. A bag of American beef jerky was passed between shivering hands, and replenished, the hikers had the energy to trek back down the mountain.
Inspired by this experience, Feed The Viking founder Fridrik Gudjonsson realized that Icelandic Lamb, Beef, and Cod would be ideal for making jerky just as the Vikings did centuries ago. Raised on grass and wild herbs, Icelandic Lamb is particularly prized for its delicate herb-infused flavor. And so, Feed the Viking was born in 2016, with a mission to create adventure-friendly jerky from premium-quality Icelandic protein.
Today, the company’s product range includes four types of jerky: Icelandic Lamb, lightly seasoned with sea salt and herbs; sweet and spicy Beef; and Wild Atlantic Cod, with and without White Cheddar.
Feed The Viking jerky brand is distributed under the name of Feed The Viking, ehf., and it is located in Reykjavik, Capital Area, Iceland.
The next review on Feed The Viking will focus on a 1.8 ounce/50 gram bag of their cod jerky. The bag was graciously submitted for review by Head of Sales & Marketing, Daniel Danielsson.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Cod (Gadus Morhua), caught in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean by a troll and/or trawl (500g of Raw fish per 100g of Finished Product), Salt.
The cod used is Wild Atlantic Cod. This cod is loaded with many healthy vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and rich in vitamin B12. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is Excellent (10/10).
There is no liquid marinade used. Some people refer to that as old fashioned jerky or a dry rub.
International jerky seems to measure their quantities different than North America in the nutrition facts table. There are no sugars listed so this jerky qualifies to have less than 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Healthy, minimally processed sea salt is used.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite added. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
FEED THE VIKING – ORIGINAL COD JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag, I smell a pungent fish odor. The pieces are small and thin, almost like broken wafers. The jerky is very dry, and it leaves no oily residue.
The first (and only) flavors I encounter are fish and salt. I don’t taste much of anything else. If I can somewhat compare it to something, I would compare it to milkfish, or a dish indigenous to the Caribbean called ackee and saltfish.
The fish flavor is decent, but it’s not really grabbing me. Someone asked me if I would buy this flavor of jerky as a snack, and while I find the flavor decent, there are too many other snacks or even jerky flavors that I would personally prefer over this one. I can’t really with a clear conscience award any higher than an 8/10. I can see why the Vikings enjoyed this many moons ago, but nowadays, there are too many other choices out there. Sorry Vikings.
Here is what Stéphane had to say: “I agree with Paul where the fish smell is rather pungent, as it is expected. The flavor is very simply the cod followed with salt. In other words; this jerky is unpretentious and not overly fishy. I was originally on the fence regarding the texture, as it is quite dry and lean.”
“However, I went back to it a couple of hours later and by then, the texture had grown on me significantly, and I was really pleased, I could even say it was addictive.”
“Overall, I love cod and fish in general; I believe Viking did a remarkable job with this jerky. I very much enjoyed this snack, and I am sure others will likely find the same attraction. I rate this little snack a 10/10 taste rating.”
Here is what Mark had to say about this original cod jerky flavor from Feed The Viking: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the taste reviews. As a disclaimer, I am not a seafood fan. While not in this instance, fish jerky makers always tell me that their fish jerky tastes like beef jerky. That is never the case. Every fish jerky review to date has been overwhelming fishy tasting. However, that is not the case here.”
“While the fishy smell is certainly pungent, the fishiness does not carry so much to the actual flavor. It is a surprisingly mild level of fishiness to the point where I finished multiple jerky strips as a first doing a fish jerky review.”
“There is no real taste profile to describe as only fish and salt are used as ingredients. I was surprised by this cod jerky in actually being a fish product that I may buy solely for the health benefits offered from cod.”
“Due to COVID-19, we are down to three members from the Group of Seven. With Stéphane and myself at 10 ratings, and Paul at an 8 rating, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating seems most appropriate.”
This 1.8 ounce/50 gram bag costs $9.99 USD. That works out to $5.50 an ounce, which rates at an expensive price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This blue-colored resealable plastic bag has everything printed directly to the bag both on the front and back. The Feed The Viking logo shows half of a Viking from the head up.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “84% Protein”, “Nothing Added”, “Wild Atlantic Cod”, “Traditional Viking Superfood”, “Dating Back To The 9th Century”, and “Made in Iceland”.
All bag categories are covered. There is a great blurb printed on the back about Wild Atlantic Cod and this cod jerky.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.feedtheviking.com/
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