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Skyr

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A German journalist eating a portion of skyr in 1934
Mass-produced vanilla skyr
Varieties of flavored skyr

Skyr(/ˈskɪər/SKEER;Icelandic pronunciation:[ˈscɪːr̥]) is a traditionalIcelandiccultured dairy product.It has the consistency ofstrained yogurt,but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as afreshsour milk cheese,similar tocurd cheeseconsumed like ayogurtin theBaltic states,the Low CountriesandGermany.[1]It has been a part ofIcelandic cuisinefor centuries.[2]

Skyr has a slightly sour dairy flavor, with a hint of residual sweetness. It is traditionally served cold, sometimes with cream. Commercial manufacturers of skyr may add flavors such asvanilla,coffee,orfruit.[3]

Etymology

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The word skyr is related to the English wordshear(to cut), referring to how the milk is split into the liquidwheyand the thick skyr.[4]

History

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Skyr is mentioned in a number of medieval Icelandic sources, includingEgil's sagaandGrettis saga.[5]It is however unclear how similar this was to modern-day skyr, as no detailed descriptions of skyr exist from this period. Originally it was made from sheep milk, but today the world is most familiar with the cow's milk version.[6]

InScandinaviadifferent versions of the word skyr have been used for variouscultured milkproducts since the middle ages[7]and still today. These are usually made without any cooking,[8]but by adding culture to skimmed milk and leaving it to ferment.Rennetis usually not used. This skyr (skjørin standard Norwegian) might be eaten with bread, watered down and drunk, cooked in porridge, mixed with sour-cream to dipflatbreadin,[9]or cooked to split into curds such as inskjørost,gamalostorskjør-kjuke[10]for eating and sour whey for drinking.[11]

A process more similar to the Icelandic skyr is found inØsterdalen,Norway. Here a product called kjellermjølk is made by heating skimmed milk, cooling it, then adding the culture and often rennet gradually.[12]The resulting split liquid can be kept for months.

Nutrition

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Skyr is a high-protein,low-fatproduct made from low-fat milk, varying slightly between brands. Unflavored skyr has roughly 13 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, and 0.2 g fat per 100 g.[13]

Uses

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Skyr is usually mixed withsugarandcream.A traditional Icelandic dish is made of roughly equal amounts of skyr andporridge.Skyr is often mixed with jam or fruit for a dessert, with prepared fish for dinner, or with cereals for breakfast. Contemporary uses include using skyr as acheesecaketopping and as an ingredient in milkshake or fruitsmoothies.

Production

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Today, skyr is made fromskimmed milkwhich is eitherpasteurizedor heated to at least 72–75 °C (162–167 °F) for 15–20 seconds, and then cooled down to 37 °C (99 °F).[14]A small portion of a previous batch of skyr is then added to the warm milk to introduce the essentialculture(the activebacterialculture), and with the addition ofrennetthe milk starts tocurdle.[15]It is left to ferment for 5 hours before being cooled to 18 °C (64 °F).[15]Then the product is strained through fabric to remove the liquidwhey.[15][2]

Bacteria such asStreptococcus thermophilusandLactobacillus delbrueckiisubsp.bulgaricusplay an important role in the fermentation of skyr.[15]They also play a major role in the production ofyogurt,but theyeastwhich is active in the low temperature step ensures that the product becomes a skyr and not a yogurt.[15]

Commerce

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Skyr is commonly consumed in Iceland.[16]Efforts at marketing it outside of Iceland began in 2005 when it was exported to the U.S. and sold at the natural-foods marketWhole Foods.[17][18]Licensed production began the next year in Denmark and Scotland.[17]Mjólkursamsalan(the major dairy cooperative in Iceland) and its associates registered "skyr" as atrademarkin some countries, but this was later ruled to be invalid, as "skyr" was found to be a generic term like "milk".[19][20]

The commercial distribution of skyr outside of Iceland increased in the 2010s, with marketing as a low-sugar, no-fat, high-protein product consumed as asnack.[21]In 2012, 80% of exported Icelandic skyr went to Finland and 20% to the U.S.[22]Numerous skyrparlorswere opened in Finland in 2019.[23]

Skyr is also made in other countries.[24]

Brands

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Some commercially manufactured skyr brands, many not made in Iceland, are:[25]

  • Arla
  • Fen Farm Dairy skyr (UK)[24]
  • Thor's Skyr(US)
  • Icelandic Provisions
  • Ísey skyr
  • Kea skyr
  • Siggi's skyr(US)
  • Smári
  • Lifeway
  • Green Mountain

See also

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References

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  1. ^Guðmundur Guðmundsson (23 February 2007)."Hnigfræði og smásæ bygging skyrs: Abstract"(in Icelandic and English). Archived fromthe originalon 10 July 2012.Retrieved25 April2012.
  2. ^ab"About the production of skyr"(in Icelandic).Mjólkursamsalan.6 February 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2005.
  3. ^Severson, Kim (14 September 2005)."Iceland woos America with lamb and skyr".New York Times.Retrieved25 June2018.
  4. ^Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989).Icelandic Etymological Dictionary(in Icelandic).ISBN9789979654018.
  5. ^Tirosh, Yoav (2020)."Milk, Masculinity, and Humor-Less Vikings – Gender in the Old Norse Polysystem".Limes.13:136–150.
  6. ^Narvhus, Judith A.; Abrahamsen, Roger K. (July 2023)."Traditional and modern Nordic fermented milk products: A review".International Dairy Journal.142.doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2023.105641.
  7. ^Grøn, Fredrik (1927).Om kostholdet i Norge indtil aar 1500(in Norwegian). Oslo: Jacob Dybwad. pp. 93–94.
  8. ^Godø, Marie (1985).Mat- og drikkeoppskrifter frå Indre Nordfjord i eldre tid(in Norwegian). Stryn bondekvinnelag. p. 11.
  9. ^Moen, Eirik (1991).Bygdaboka for Voll. 3: Den gamle bygda(in Norwegian). Bygdaboknemnda for Voll. p. 269.
  10. ^Gamle matoppskrifter frå Vågå(in Norwegian). Vågå bondekvinnelag. 1978. p. 26.
  11. ^Smørvik, Per (1979).Melkstell(in Norwegian). vefsn bygdesamling. p. 20.
  12. ^Sopp, Olav (1914).Surmelk(in Norwegian). Olaf Norli. p. 31.
  13. ^"Nutritional values for KEA skyr hrært".Mjólkursamsalan(in Icelandic).Retrieved26 February2019.
  14. ^Binda, Sylvie; Ouwehand, Arthur C. (2019)."Lactic Acid Bacteria for Fermented Dairy Products".Lactic Acid Bacteria.CRC Press. p. 181.ISBN9780429615641.
  15. ^abcdeBjörn Sigurður Gunnarsson (11 April 2003)."Hvernig er skyrgerillinn til kominn?".Vísindavefurinn(in Icelandic).Retrieved26 February2019.
  16. ^"Icelandic skyr now makes up 2% of the US yogurt market".Icelandmag.Fréttablaðið.23 March 2017.Retrieved26 February2019.
  17. ^ab"Ársskýrla Auðhumlu 2006"(PDF).2006. p. 13.
  18. ^"Sigurför skyrsins".Morgunblaðið. 26 August 2005. p. 8.
  19. ^"MS missir spón úr aski sínum: Skyr er vörutegund en ekki vörumerki".Stundin.6 September 2017.Retrieved14 January2021.
  20. ^"Arla lagði MS í deilu um skyr í Finnlandi".RÚV(in Icelandic). 28 September 2017.Retrieved14 January2021.
  21. ^"Welcome to skyr, the Viking 'superfood' waking up Britain".the Guardian.27 November 2016.Retrieved14 January2021.
  22. ^"Skyr selt erlendis fyrir 650 milljónir - Viðskiptablaðið".www.vb.is.Retrieved14 January2021.
  23. ^"Finnar óðir í ísey skyr: 25 barir opnaðir í landinu".hringbraut.frettabladid.is.Retrieved14 January2021.
  24. ^ab"Fen Farm, Natural Skyr Yoghurt".Pipers Farm.Retrieved13 September2024.An example of non-Icelandic skyr, UK-made, must be sold as Icelandic-style, not Icelandic..
  25. ^Jordan Myrick (16 January 2023)."The Best Skyr Icelandic Yogurts, by the Power of Thor".www.sporked.com.Retrieved7 May2023.
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