Skyr

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Skyr is an Icelandic soured dairy product, thicker than yoghurt. It was once prepared in other Scandinavian countries but is currently unique to Icelandic cuisine.

Traditionally, skyr is made by heating skimmed milk to 90°-100°C and pasteurised to kill the bacteria except for skyr bacteria, such as Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Then, "skyr condenser" — good skyr, used to ignite bacteria growth, and rennet was added, and the milk was left to coagulate. The skyr is then strained through fabric to remove whey, called "mysa" in Icelandic, a by-product that Icelanders used as a thirst quenching drink.

Skyr, in its traditional preparation, has no added flavors beyond the ingedients mentioned above. Recently, Icelandic manufacturers of Skyr have added flavors such as vanilla, berry and other flavorings common to yoghurt to the final product, to increase its appeal. Skyr-based smoothies have become very popular.

Skyr is a very popular health product in Iceland and was recently introduced to the US in selected Mid-Atlantic Whole Foods Market stores. Varying slightly between brands, unflavoured skyr is roughly 12% protein, 3% carbohydrate, and 0.5% fat. 500g can be expected to cost around 130-140 ISK.