Reested Mutton Soup

Reested (reestit) mutton is a Shetland traditional dish of cured mutton, which has been salted for at least ten days, then hung up on hooks over a peat fire to dry for as long as it takes to be eaten up. After some time it looks rather like salt cod, with an ivory hue and a stiff cardboard feel. Some people have it hanging there for so long they wrap it around with newspapers to prevent the dust settling on it. The mutton is then sliced thinly — to Parma ham thinness - and fried with onions