Less than 24 hours after arriving in Greenland, I get my first taste of just how fickle nature can be in the Arctic. At Qooqqut Nuan, a family-run restaurant tucked deep inside the Nuuk fjord, diners arrive by boat and hand over their catch to be cooked on the spot. I watch fellow travelers proudly deliver bags of slick, silvery cod they hooked during our two-hour journey from Nuuk. I, on the other hand — a city dweller who often catches her meals with a few taps of an app — came back empty-handed.
No matter. My companions have luckily provided the chef with more than enough fish to fillet for his Thai-Greenlandic menu of coconut soup fragrant with cilantro and galangal, cod bathed in a vibrant orange curry, and tempura-fried fillets with oyster sauce, all served with sweeping views of the sun-dappled water.
This “cook your catch” experience is just the beginning of an exploration of Greenland’s culinary traditions aboard HX Expeditions’ Icy Giants of Disko Bay cruise. It’s the first itinerary to include flights from New York via United Airlines’ new route, timed to the November 2024 opening of Nuuk International Airport, and marks a new chapter in Greenland travel.
Until recently, Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory about one-quarter the size of the contiguous United States, has been somewhat hard to reach. The vast majority of the island is covered in an ice sheet, and pretty much nothing is connected by roads: Travel must take place by air or by sea, making an expedition cruise a surprisingly practical way to explore. Beyond making Greenland more accessible, this new cruise represents something deeper: a chance to experience the territory through the lens of its people.
HX Expeditions offers unique itineraries designed with a dedicated Greenland-based focus. Each sailing partners with regional producers and artisans and includes Greenlandic cultural ambassadors. Most notably, the line has brought Greenlandic cuisine to the forefront, particularly through collaborations with the Indigenous chefs who are redefining Arctic cooking as part of a broader movement. Some call it the New Arctic Kitchen.
Inunnguaq Hegelund is one such pioneer. The 38-year-old chef was born and raised in Greenland and trained locally. His cooking embraces the ingredients available here: halibut, musk ox, reindeer, beluga whale, juniper berries, and foraged herbs like Arctic thyme and angelica.
“We don’t want to be called Nordic food; we are not Nordic food,” he tells me as we sit in the ship’s 10th-floor lounge overlooking gulls soaring above Greenland’s craggy coastline. “Foodwise, we have our own identity, and it’s so important for us to keep these traditions and the hunting methods alive.”
COURTESY OF HX EXPEDITIONS
As HX Expeditions’ culinary ambassador, Hegelund works with fellow Greenlandic chef Laasi Biilmann and the brand’s executive chef, David McDonald Greves, to give passengers a taste of local culinary identity. The voyage includes a dedicated Greenlandic dinner showcasing Hegelund’s modern interpretation of traditional cuisine: scallop terrine with electric-green apple slivers, creamy snow crab bisque, braised lamb fritters, and a deconstructed apple cake sweetened with salted caramel.
“We want to support local communities and showcase their culinary skills,” says McDonald Greves. The ship sources ingredients from the island, including fish from local waters and lamb and beef from small family farms in Narsaq, in southern Greenland. One farm is so small, it raises just 25 cows per year.
Beyond the special dinner, Greenlandic ingredients are served daily. I taste fresh halibut ceviche mixed with avocado and lime and shrimp with dill dressing. With those dishes comes lager from the Narsaq-based Qajaq Brewery, touted as using “the purest drinking water on Earth” from the Greenlandic ice cap.
GÉRALDINE PRINCE
This immersion continues on land. In Ilulissat, I watch fishermen thread bait for halibut and break for lunch at a café serving pizza topped with ammassat, a mild Greenlandic fish. In Sisimiut, after browsing artisan crafts, I take shelter from the rain in a snug coffee shop over tea and cinnamon buns.
Between landings, HX’s thoughtful onboard programming continues to connect passengers with Greenlandic culture. One afternoon, a resident from the island of Maniitsoq comes aboard to share photos and stories about his life and family while serving a traditional Inuit tea made with foraged Arctic herbs. His presentation reminds me of what Hegelund said about his mission. “Nature means everything for us. I want people to have a better understanding of our food culture and traditions.”
In the Greenlandic language, the word for the traditional food, kalaalimineq, literally means “a piece of a Greenlander.” After days of shared meals and stories, that feels exactly right.
