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If I may ask, where did you get the chance to try this, and how was it prepared?

I just read this on wikipedia:

> If the meat is eaten without pretreatment, the ingested TMAO is metabolized into trimethylamine, which can produce effects similar to extreme drunkenness

Might be crazy to think, but the thought crossed my mind if the meat was ever ingested, untreated, for recreational purposes.

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Iceland, where it's called hákarl (/'howkartl/, sort of).

I don't know how it's prepared now, but the traditional method is to dig a shallow pit, put the shark in there, and then cover it with rocks. The rocks press out the toxic stuff. Then the meat is hung up to dry in an open-air shack. Each step takes 2-3 months.

I imagine there's a more industrial process now but I don't know for sure.

Hakarl is also available in Iceland - it's served in little cubes, if I remember correctly.

Do the chemicals prevent the meat from rotting? Or is the ground acting like a freezer?

Hung for fermentation for a few months. Can see some of the process here[0]. It tastes a bit like strong cheese, with the same texture. Usually eaten with cold snaps.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnjtnzyTNoQ

It ferments.

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