Skyr

skyr a cultured milk preparation which has been made in Iceland since the first settlers arrived there in the 9th century. It seems likely that it was being produced elsewhere, e.g. in Denmark and Britain, at that time, but it was only in Iceland that production continued into and beyond medieval times. For Icelanders, skyr is a major element in their culinary heritage and is thought to be unique to their country. Nonetheless, Sigríður Thorlacius (1980) observes that ‘a Dane, who had worked in a dairy in Iceland, brought the formula with him to Denmark and started making skyr in a dairy in Jutland with great success’. She also remarks that when her husband was given dinner by Prime Minister Nehru in India he discovered that the shrikhand of that country was astonishingly similar to skyr.