Photos

That's right! 'Muktuk' is a traditional Eskimo food made from whale skin.

This particular whale was a young gray whale. All parts of the animal will be used. It will provide enough meat for the entire family and that can be a large number in a small village like Akakanuk. At this particular time members of this family are taking turns preparing food for a family member dealing with a recent death.

These two Yupik ladies, Valerie and Diane, are slicing the large chunks of fat into 1 inch cubes. The skin is gray and the fat is white. The fat is saved and boiled as soup and the skin with fat parts, 'Muktuk,' are eaten raw. Too much fat alone will upset the stomach of even the most seasoned eater. You can see the 'Ulu' knife in Diane's hand on the right. This is a traditional Alaska Native tool that was originally made from a used saw blade with a wooded handle. 'The Ulu Factory' in Anchorage makes good quality traditional blades currently. The oil of the whale is a major staple used to store almost all kind of food; fish, berries, roots, meats.

I'm sure you are wondering... Muktuk has a very unusual texture; not unlike that of firm silicone. The the texture is the hardest part for most new tasters to get over, but second to that is the oiliness of the meat. I personally didn't find the oily flavor and consistency to be gross. I would compare it to the flavor of an oil like olive oil, but it is certainly not a meat you 'chew-up.' It never really brakes down and you have to decide how long you will chew before you give up and simply swallow it whole. Thus the 1 inch squares. I didn't find it to be fishy flavored.

I haven't been brave enough to try 'stink flipper' yet. You can imagine why, I'm sure.