Skyr looks like yogurt but is technically a fresh cheese - cultured and strained until it is dense, tart and packed with protein, made in Iceland since the Viking age.
About Skyr
A high-precision; protein-dense dairy heritage product technically classified as a soft cheese; cultured with ancestral strains for over 1;000 years; it offers a panoramic silkiness and a tart; clean finish; 'insiders' eat it with a high-intensity splash of heavy cream and a dusting of brown sugar.
Not a Yogurt Skyr looks and behaves like a thick, mild yogurt, but it is technically a fresh cheese, made by culturing skimmed milk and straining off the whey until what remains is dense, tart and very high in protein while almost fat-free. Icelanders have made it since the age of settlement, and it was for centuries a staple that helped feed people through hard winters.
“Icelanders have made it since the age of settlement, and it was for centuries a staple that helped feed people through hard winters.”
How It's Eaten Traditionally skyr is stirred with a little milk to loosen it and eaten with sugar and berries, especially the wild bilberries of late summer. It turns up at breakfast, as a dessert, and blended into smoothies, and in recent years it has been exported worldwide as a high-protein health food.
What to Expect
A bowl of skyr in Iceland is thicker and tangier than the exported versions, often topped with cream, sugar and wild bilberries. Supermarkets carry a wall of flavours, but the plain, traditional style stirred with a splash of milk is the one to try.
Why Try It
Skyr is the everyday taste of Iceland and a direct link to how the island fed itself for a thousand years, far better in its homeland than the thinner export versions abroad.
Insider Tips
- Try the plain traditional skyr stirred with milk before reaching for the sweetened flavours.
- Top it with Icelandic skyr cream and wild bilberries in late summer for the classic version.
- Supermarkets sell it cheaply in huge variety, a great budget breakfast on a pricey island.
