McDonald’s is one of the largest fast-food chains in the world and there is no denying to it. One of the main factors for its popularity is the location. According to McDonald’s official website, there are over 38,000 outlets spread across over 100 countries. This means, we can literally get at least one McDonald’s outlet in almost every part of the world. However, there are still some places where it gets hard to find a McDonald’s outlet – Iceland being one such country. The country previously had three McDonald’s outlets, all of which permanently closed their doors in 2009. But still the fast-food chain remains a part of Iceland’s history. How, you ask? Reportedly, they have preserved a 12-year-old Big Mac as an historical artefact and display it across the country.

Sounds fascinating, isn’t it? According to the online magazine Atlas Obscura, this particular burger was bought on October 30, 2009 – one day before the outlet closed – by a person named Hjortur Smaraso. However, he didn’t eat the burger and threw in the dustbin, completely untouched. Three years later, he found the same burger, lying in the dustbin. Although everything around the burger was chewed up by mice, Smaraso stated that both the Big Mac and French fried looked like they were bought “15 minutes earlier” and got cold on the way back home.

It is then when Hjortur Smaraso decided to keep it as a part of the history and sent it on display at the National Museum of Iceland for a year. Then the Big Mac travelled to the Bus Hostel Reykjavik for a few years. Currently, the fast food is kept at the Snotra House in southern Iceland.

Quite interesting, right? What are your thoughts on this unique historical artefact of Iceland? Do let us know in the comments below.

About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.