What do you eat in the Arctic? Traditional and modern diets explained

January 10, 2026 •

4 min read

Historically, the Inuit, Yupʼik, and Aleut peoples of the Arctic region thrived for millennia on a diet of hunted and gathered animal products, forming the basis of what do you eat in the Arctic. Today, this traditional diet is shifting dramatically due to modern influences and climate change.

Quick Summary

An exploration of Arctic food sources, covering the historical reliance on hunted marine and land mammals, fish, and foraged plants, contrasting this with the growing dependence on market-bought foods today.

Key Points

Traditional Diet: Historically, the Arctic diet was dominated by hunted animal and marine life, including caribou, seal, whale, and fish.
Nutrient-Rich Fat: Essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C and D, were obtained from animal fats and organs, preventing deficiencies like scurvy despite a lack of plant-based foods.
Food Preservation: Indigenous peoples developed sophisticated preservation techniques like natural freezing in permafrost cellars, drying, and fermenting meat.
Modern Shift: The diet is shifting towards expensive and often less nutritious market-bought food, leading to an increase in obesity and nutrient deficiencies.
Climate Change Impact: Melting sea ice and thawing permafrost threaten traditional hunting practices and food storage methods, exacerbating food insecurity issues.
Cultural Importance: Country food is not merely sustenance; it is a vital part of indigenous cultural identity, community sharing, and physical health.

A Deep Dive into Arctic Food Sources

The Arctic's extreme environment—with its short summers and long, dark winters—historically made agriculture impossible, forcing indigenous peoples to develop a diet based almost entirely on local animal and marine resources. This traditional, or 'country food', diet is highly specialized and culturally central, encompassing everything from mighty whales to tiny berries. For example, a single bowhead whale could feed a community for nearly a year, providing meat, blubber, and skin. Inland communities focused more on land mammals, with twice-yearly migrations of caribou providing a crucial food source.

Staple Traditional Foods of the Arctic

Traditional Arctic diets were surprisingly rich in nutrients, with indigenous peoples developing intricate knowledge of which parts of an animal provided necessary vitamins and minerals that are typically associated with plants in other parts of the world. This included the consumption of raw meats and organs to preserve fragile nutrients like Vitamin C.

Marine Mammals: Seal, whale (beluga, bowhead), and walrus are primary food sources for coastal communities. Muktuk, the skin and blubber of beluga or bowhead whales, is a valuable source of fat and Vitamin C.
Land Mammals: Caribou (reindeer) is a staple for many groups, including the Inuit and Sami. Other hunted animals include muskox and polar bear.
Fish: Abundant freshwater and saltwater fish are a vital part of the diet. Key species include Arctic char, cod, trout, and salmon.
Birds and Eggs: Seabirds, ducks, and geese, along with their eggs, are harvested seasonally.
Foraged Plants: During the brief summer, foraged berries (cloudberries, crowberries), roots, grasses, and seaweed add flavor and additional nutrients to the diet. Some inland groups were known to consume the nutrient-rich, semi-digested plants found in the stomachs of caribou.

The Shift to a Modern Arctic Diet

Over the past several decades, the Arctic diet has undergone a significant transformation. The introduction of store-bought, or 'market food', has changed dietary patterns, especially for younger generations in more accessible towns. While traditional foods are still highly valued and consumed when possible, the shift away from a subsistence lifestyle has introduced new challenges. Modern hunting equipment is expensive, and climate change is impacting traditional hunting and gathering practices, making country food harder to obtain.

Market Foods vs. Country Foods: A Modern Nutritional Comparison

This table illustrates the nutritional shifts between a traditional and modern Arctic diet. While market foods offer convenience, they introduce health concerns that were historically less prevalent.


Feature	Traditional Arctic Diet (Country Food)	Modern Arctic Diet (Market Food)
Nutrient Profile	High in protein, healthy fats (Omega-3s), and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K) from animal sources.	Increased consumption of carbohydrates, sugars, and less-healthy fats from processed foods.
Food Source	Locally hunted and gathered marine and land mammals, fish, and seasonal plants.	Imported packaged and processed foods, often less nutritious and very expensive.
Scurvy Prevention	Consumed raw organs (liver, brain) and muktuk, which provided enough Vitamin C.	Relies on supplemented or imported produce; insufficient intake can lead to deficiencies.
Health Outcomes	Historically low rates of certain chronic diseases; however, bone density issues were observed.	Rising rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and nutrient deficiencies.
Food Security	Dependent on successful hunting and sharing networks within the community.	Vulnerable to high costs, unreliable transport, and climate change impacts on storage.

The Impact of Climate Change on Arctic Food Systems

Climate change poses a direct threat to the traditional Arctic diet. Melting sea ice makes hunting marine mammals more perilous, and changes in weather patterns disrupt migration routes and harvesting seasons. Furthermore, warming permafrost is causing traditional food storage cellars to thaw, leading to spoilage and food safety concerns. These challenges compound food insecurity issues, pushing communities to rely more heavily on expensive and less nutritious store-bought alternatives.

Traditional Preservation and Preparation Methods

Indigenous Arctic peoples developed ingenious methods to process and preserve their food without modern refrigeration.

Natural Freezing: Using snow and permafrost in underground ice cellars (like the Inupiat siġluaqs) for year-round cold storage.
Drying and Smoking: Meat and fish are dried in the sun and wind, sometimes over a smoking fire, to create long-lasting products like caribou or fish jerky.
Fermentation: The process of fermenting meat, known as igunaq in some Inuit cultures, is a traditional method for preservation.
Soups and Stews: Dishes like suaasat (a hearty soup) and bidos (reindeer stew) are traditional comfort foods.
Fat Preservation: Using seal oil or rendered fat for cooking and preserving other foods.

Conclusion: Looking to the Future of Arctic Food

The question of what do you eat in the Arctic? reveals a complex story of resilience, adaptation, and modern-day challenges. The traditional diet, once a masterclass in survival and nutrient acquisition in a hostile environment, is under threat from climate change, economic factors, and cultural shifts. As dependence on market food grows, so do rates of diet-related health problems, contrasting starkly with the historical health of those on a purely traditional diet. Efforts to support local food systems, combat food insecurity, and adapt to climate change are crucial for safeguarding the health and cultural identity of Arctic peoples. Understanding these unique dietary patterns provides a vital perspective on human nutrition and the deep connection between food, culture, and environment. For more information on the impact of climate change on traditional food systems, see the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.

The Significance of Country Food

The term 'country food' extends beyond just nutrition, encompassing a cultural and spiritual connection to the land and animals that is a cornerstone of Arctic indigenous identity. Food sharing networks, for instance, are a deeply ingrained social practice that reinforces community bonds. When climate change and economic pressure undermine traditional food gathering, it affects not just physical health, but the entire social and cultural fabric of a community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Traditionally, access to fruits and vegetables was minimal. In the brief summer, indigenous peoples foraged for berries, roots, and seaweed. However, modern diets include imported produce from stores, though it is often very expensive.

Vitamin C, which is destroyed by cooking, was traditionally obtained by eating fresh, raw parts of animals. Whale skin and blubber (muktuk), caribou liver, and seal brain are all sources of Vitamin C that helped prevent scurvy.

Muktuk is the skin and blubber of a bowhead or beluga whale. It is a prized delicacy and a crucial source of fat and Vitamin C in the traditional Inuit diet.

Indigenous peoples developed clever methods using the cold environment. Techniques include natural freezing in permafrost cellars, drying meat in the Arctic wind, smoking, and fermentation.

The traditional, high-fat, high-protein diet was effective for survival in the extreme cold. While some historical claims of low chronic disease rates are disputed, the introduction of processed market foods has undeniably led to rising rates of obesity and other health issues.

While market food is more common, country food remains a significant part of the diet and cultural identity for many Arctic indigenous peoples. However, it is often supplemented by store-bought items due to cost and access challenges.

Climate change impacts diets by altering hunting and gathering seasons, making sea ice travel more dangerous, affecting animal migrations, and causing permafrost cellars to melt, which can spoil traditional food stocks.

Key challenges include the high cost of market foods and hunting equipment, logistical difficulties in transporting supplies, and the detrimental health effects of switching from nutrient-dense country food to processed foods.