No, not
mukluks! This
Eskimo delicacy is made from the outer skin layers, plus the attached
blubber, of a
whale. The two species of whale from which muktuk is most often sliced are the
bowhead and the
beluga, or
white whale. The outer skin layers consist of a corky protective layer, the true skin and the blubber. In the case of beluga muktuk, the outer layer is white, the next layer is black, and the blubber is pink. It may be eaten
fresh,
frozen,
boiled, or even (yum!)
fermented.
The practice of consuming Muktuk has settled back a bit, due to recent (and wise) restrictions on the slaugher of whales. But
Alaska Natives do retain limited hunting rights, due to the whale's prominence in many
Alaskan cultures.