Bearded Seal Oil

Bearded seal oil is produced by slowly rendering the blubber of the bearded seal (oogruk). It’s a pale to golden liquid fat with a mild, slightly fishy flavour that’s used as a dipping sauce, condiment, and preservative across Arctic Indigenous communities.

The oil is a versatile staple — it’s used to dip dried fish and meat, mixed with berries (particularly akutaq, sometimes called ‘Eskimo ice cream’), and used to preserve foods for storage. In a region where cooking oils and fats are historically scarce, seal oil has served as the primary dietary fat for millennia.

This is an Indigenous subsistence product with no commercial availability. It carries significant cultural value and is shared within communities following traditional practices. It is not found in Australian markets.