Atlantica No. 4, 2010, July-August - Iceland Review

a Down on the Farmby Deb SmithPhotos by Luis Castañeda (Portraits)and Páll StefánssonThe Skyr StoryOne early morning in Iceland, my sonConor and I visited HallgrímskirkjaCathedral. We took photos ofReykjavík city from the church tower and photosof each other against the stunning backdropof Mount Esja, visible from the church’s frontwalk. We also decided to visit Matvöruverslunsupermarket on Skólavördustígur street, justdown from the church. I was looking for skyr.My guidebook’s description of this sort-ofyogurt,sort-of-cheese made me curious to trythe Icelandic dairy delicacy.Inside, the small supermarket was a delight:pleasant cashiers who welcomed us, even morepleasant local folks (one lady took time to explainwhy Icelanders regard mountains as female—two credits for my side.) There were giant-sizeQuality Street sweets in the bin by the registerand tubes of thick, smooth Scandinavian handcreams on the shelf. Best of all, the refrigeratorcase had at least eight flavors of skyr.Dazzled, I bought a tub of peach skyr andpaid at the till. Then I went right out to thecurb, unwrapped the tub and sank the plasticspoon into the creamy whiteness. Astonished,Conor photographed me sampling my skyr inbroad daylight.If you like dairy, as I do, this is heavenly stuff.Skyr is formed by heating milk, adding rennet (asetting agent once made from cattle stomachsand now also made from vegetable sources) andholding the milk warm until it forms curds andwhey. When the whey is drained off and thelarge jelly-like curds are processed to form asmooth consistency, skyr is formed. So it’s a softcheese with the clever ability to taste like puddingeven as it looks like yogurt.Best of all, skyr is made with skimmed milk.My 6-ounce tub of flavored skyr contained 150calories, 16 grams of protein, 150 mg of calciumand no fat. Plain skyr, depending on the brand,will cost you 100-120 calories. The consistencyof pudding without its clawing sweetness, evenflavored varieties of skyr never overwhelm.(Skyr also lacks yogurt’s tangy tartness: fineby me.) I went back inside the market to buyfour more flavors and a tub of plain skyr, too.After all, there was so little time and I wantedto taste it all.Some nights during our trip I made skyr mywhole dinner. It pairs well with fruit and anytype of sweetener. Skyr also stirs into a creamyconsistency with mix-ins like nuts and muesli.With the exception of one brand in funkyflavors like acai and ginger, skyr is virtuallyunknown where I live in America. So when Icould buy it in Iceland, I did: any brand, lots offlavors. It provided a fair amount of plastic tubrecycling for the Icelandic nation, while laterreassuring my doctor on my annual visit that Iwasn’t lacking calcium.And skyr found me as well. Lunch at the50 atlantica