The first time I tasted akutuq(gutturally AUK-goo-duck) was out on the ice when I pronounced lived above the Arctic Circle. My parents taught school in the small Eskimo village of Shungnak, 150 miles up the Kobuk River, before World War II broke out. At the time, I had no idea that the centuries- old dish was a favorite throughout Alaska. or that it had numerous variations and life-saving qualities. It was simply a treat.