muktuk

American  

[muhk-tuhk] / ˈmʌk tʌk /

Or maktak

noun

1. the blubber and skin of a whale when eaten as a food, raw or cooked.

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muktuk British  

/ ˈmʌktʌk /

noun

1. the thin outer skin of the beluga, used as food

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Etymology

Origin of muktuk

First recorded in 1880–85; from Inupiaq (Alaska) maktak, Inuit (Canada) maktaq “whaleskin with blubber attached”

Example Sentences

Kirk would trade her mother beluga muktuk in exchange for springtime smelt from Buckland.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2023

Johnson said one of her sons, 9-year-old K’edzaaye’, got excited when he saw Molly’s mom cooking muktuk, or whale skin — one of his favorite foods.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2019

These tusked whales – sometimes called the unicorns of the sea – are prized by Inuits who use their blubber and skin to make a traditional, extraordinarily chewy meal called muktuk.

From The Guardian • Aug. 29, 2015

The captains will open their houses over the next few days, distributing muktuk to the community, not so differently from the way their ancestors did.

From New York Times • Oct. 17, 2011

So I went on for an hour, made camp, fed the dogs, and ate two chunks of muktuk.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell