Sigurd at the table

In the Nordic longhouse (langhús), there is no starter or dessert: life revolves around the long fire (langeldr) dug in the center of the hall. Two meals mark the day — **dagmál** in the morning and **náttmál** in the evening. Above the embers hangs the great iron cauldron (ketill) where meats and porridges simmer; on the benches, flat barley bread, cheese, and **skyr** are shared. On great occasions, the chieftain offers a *veizla*, a feast of roasted meats where the drinking horn passes from hand to hand, sealing oaths and toasts (minni) to the gods and the dead.

Skimmed milk fermented and then drained, thick and tangy, **skyr** accompanies almost everything among the Völsungs: it is sweetened with honey and berries, used to top porridges, and packed as travel provisions because it keeps well. It is the sour-fresh touch that balances the heaviness of meats and mead.