Making akutuk, or 'Eskimo ice cream,' takes time and strength

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It's as traditional as it gets when it comes to Inuit recipes.

It's called akutuk; Inuvialuit sometimes call it Eskimo ice cream.

It's a cool treat that can be eaten like a spread or frozen. After making it, you'd probably want it that way; it'll make you sweat as you stir, grind and pull.

"It takes a long time," said Sandra Pascal to CBC Northwind host, Wanda McLeod.

Akutuk is made with a lot of different caribou parts.

It's a recipe she shared on CBC North's Facebook recipe group — a perfect fit for a group that focuses on recipes of the North.

"It's whipped rendered caribou fat, with cooked [ground] meat and cooked string meat and caribou bone marrow,' she said from her home in Inuvik, N.W.T.

"Just to pull the meat apart, it's one day. Took me about eight hours."

Then she's right back at it for more. Boiling, pulling it apart and making sure she has enough meat. 

Then comes the stirring.

First Pascal strains the rendered caribou fat into a bowl and lets it cool down. 

"I'm stirring it for almost two hours and it's starting to change colour ... like pure white."

That's when she knows she's getting close. Eventually the fat gets fluffy and then stiff peaks start to form.

"That's when you add your ... meat," said Pascal.

She then spreads it evenly on a cookie sheet and cuts it into squares.

Batch of 'gold'

Pascal said she is so happy to get back into making this traditional recipe. She said her grandmother used to make it whenever she could get her hands on enough caribou. Which wasn't always easy to come by.

"My grandmother used to save every little thing, every bone grease she could get a hold of and bone marrow."

It's a lot of work for anyone, but always worth it in the end, said Pascal.

She said she shared her recent batch with friends, family and elders. One person described it as "gold," she said.

"It made me feel really good because it's elder approved."