Let’s end the week with yogurt. Not just any yogurt, though; let’s talk about Icelandic yogurt, otherwise known as skyr.
Now I’d never heard of skyr until I heard about Siggi. Who’s Siggi? He’s a friend of my friend Sasie, one of Craig’s film school classmates. When I first met Sasie and told her that I was a food writer, she said: “Oh you have to meet my friend Siggi and try his yogurt!”
Now that’s quite a weird thing to say, except that Sasie’s friend Siggi has a remarkable yogurt story. I made a date last Saturday to go to Siggi’s TriBeCa loft to sample his skyr and to make skyr smoothies. Not a very typical Saturday, but Siggi’s not a very typical person. This is his story and the story of his skyr.
Siggi is from Iceland. He grew up there and ate very typical Icelandic food. “We eat very healthy in Iceland,” he told me in his living room after our introductions. “Lots of fish, not a lot of fat. That’s why we’re all so tall and skinny.”
Indeed, Siggi is tall and skinny and serves as a walking advertisement for an Icelandic diet.
“And do you eat lots of yogurt in Iceland?” I asked, segueing to the main reason for my visit.
“Yes,” he said. “But our yogurt–which is called skyr” (pronounced SKeer) “has no fat and no sugar and it’s incredibly good for you.”
Skyr’s dietary properties aren’t the result of sinister lab work or the addition of strange supplements and chemicals like most yogurt we see in America. “Essentially, skyr came about because of resourcefulness. After using the cream to make butter, the leftover non-fat milk was turned into skyr.”
What makes skyr extraordinary is how rich it tastes without any fat. I know this because I forced Siggi to let me sample some in the middle of his skyr story.
It tastes like a decadent dessert–its density is due to the fact that it’s strained–and yet, unlike, say, a big bowl of ice cream or whipped cream it’s actually good for you.
“It’s basically just pure protein,” said Siggi. “And we don’t use any artificial sweeteners. Our flavored skyr has agave, which is natural sugar from a cactus.”
He squeezed some agave syrup on to my skyr and it took it to a whole new level, much like eating a really flavorful cheese with really good honey.
“Wow,” I said. “This is some seriously good skyr.”
Eventually, I asked Siggi how he got into this business.
“I was working in finance and I wasn’t very happy,” he told me. “So I started making yogurt at home.”
“Did your roommates think that was weird?”
“They did,” he said, “Though they’re used to me making a mess in the kitchen.”
Unfortunately, Siggi’s attempts to make skyr at home didn’t really work. “The conditions weren’t right,” he explained. “You need a very specific temperature for the skyr to come together.”
Eventually, Siggi had an opportunity to make skyr on a dairy farm upstate. “We went up there and got to work and before we knew it we had skyr. We made so much of it that when I came back I didn’t know what to do with it all.”
He gave it away to friends in jars and one of these friends gave it to someone at Murray’s cheese who, in turn, gave it to the buyers there. “They tasted it and they loved it and eventually they got back to me and told me that if I wanted to produce my skyr, they would buy it.”
And that’s exactly what happened; Siggi was in business. First, he sold to Murray’s and then soon Dean & Deluca and Eli’s wanted it too. Finally, the big kahuna–Whole Foods–ordered Siggi’s skyr too.
“Now you can get it at Whole Foods all along the east coast and west as far as Nebraska.”
Siggi’s skyr comes in various flavors–pomegranate and passionfruit (“People get mad that it’s not red, but we didn’t want to dye it–we want it to be all natural”), blueberry, orange ginger…
…but the plain skyr is a perfect canvas on which to be inventive.
“Let’s make some skyr smoothies!” said Siggi.
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The next few hours were hilariously fun. Siggi had a whole table covered with possible smoothie ingredients: pineapples, grapefruits, coconut milk, cilantro, strawberries, blackberries, almond butter.
“Let’s do coconut first,” he said. He threw some skyr into a blender and we added coconut milk, some agave (for sweetness), some lime juice and mint leaves.
We blended it all up and the result was strangely compelling. “Mmm,” said Siggi. “It would be even better with some alcohol.”
My favorite was perhaps the most simple: blackberries, strawberries and something called Bilberry nectar. “Bilberries are smaller, more tart blueberries,” Siggi explained.
Strangely, Siggi frequently deferred to me as some kind of food authority. “What do you think we should do next?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not really a chef.”
“C’mon,” he said. “Be creative!”
Siggi had a juicer out so I suggested that he juice a bunch of pears he bought and mix it with almond butter and skyr.
“Almost like a dessert,” he said eagerly.
He peeled the pears, I cut out their cores, we juiced and then blended with the yogurt and almond butter.
The result?
One of Siggi’s roommates came home around then and after tasting my invention said: “I think all these things would taste good by themselves, but I’m not sure they go together.”
Siggi and I toasted anyway:
Then we made a pineapple cilantro smoothie which I think was my 2nd favorite, though Siggi didn’t like the texture of the cilantro. “I used too much,” he said, chastising himself. “Maybe I should strain it.”
At this point, I was pretty skyred out and ready to be on my way.
“Well Siggi,” I said. “It was great to meet you and to try your skyr.”
“Here,” he said, handing me a bag. “Take some skyr home.”
He gave me a big bag of skyr–all the flavors–and Craig and I have been pigging out on it all week. Though it’s not really pigging out when there’s no fat in it, right?
“Before you go,” said Siggi. “You have to have some Icelandic schnapps.”
I had a shot of Icelandic firewater and then made my way out the door, a bagful of skyr on my arm.
“That was fun,” I said to myself as I made my way on to the train. And I’m glad I got to share some of that fun with you, reader, before the weekend. If you want to try some of Siggi’s skyr (and I really think you should), head over to Whole Foods (assuming you live east of Nebraska) and give it a try. Here’s the official website (skyr.com) if you want to read more about it. And if you want to make smoothies out of it, you have permission to copy my pear juice and almond butter smoothie (even you, Mrs. McCain….) Just make sure to give me credit!
Thanks, Siggi, for a great day of smoothies and skyr.
Fascinating story! Here’s hoping it makes it beyond Nebraska to Colorado one of these days so I can try it, too.
That was a fantastic post! Informative, fun, and even a bit of political humor at the end. I’ll definitely pick up some skyr yogurt the next time I’m at Whole Foods.
I just want to tell you how much I enjoy this blog. And I will certainly be going to Whole Foods to pick up some of this yogurt.
My sister has an obsession with all things Icelandic so I’ll be picking some up for her tomorrow.
i can’t believe you hung out with siggi, i love his skyr!! but, the pear mint is my favorite, and i haven’t seen it since he repackaged to the new containers. does he still make that flavor? please advise!
I just bought this at the WF because it was relatively local!! Sadly I can only have the plain, because I’m allergic to all cacti- including aloe and agave… I ate my plain with some preserves and a squirt of honey, and it was delicious.P.S. I’m not one of those people who is allergic to everything… Just the cacti… Weird huh?
I love yogurt so much; this entry gave me little excited palpitations!
Pomegranate skyr? I’m in.Let’s just hope my Long Beach Whole Foods has it . . .
fat free, huh? That’s super exciting! years of living in Astoria made me addicted to Greek yogurt–SO rich– but SO fattening.I can’t wait to try this stuff!
hee. talk and skinny. I like it.
I’d seen this stuff in WF before, but hadn’t tried it because I am addicted to Fage & don’t eat “normal” yogurt anymore. I tried Siggi’s orange & ginger, and I think I’ve died & gone to heaven. (but don’t worry, I’ll be sure to haunt Whole Foods so I can get some more)I also liked how the packaging is 100% recyclable – that is a nice touch too.
Sounds delicious, although I don’t normally shop at Whole Foods. Maybe I will venture out there to try this stuff.
I wish this yogurt were available in our area:D
What an interesting story, I’m definitely curious to try this yoghurt. I wonder if Whole Foods in London will start stocking it?
This deserves a trip to the nearest Whole Foods, a 3 1/2-hour drive from where I live!
Oh wow. I’m buying some skyr next week! I’ve never heard of it and I generally avoid non-fat items because I think of fat as having the flavor. This post makes me curious though.
Is there a skyr (ooh, that *is* fun to type) outlet in Seattle? I’m off to check out the official site – great post AG!
How did Meredith figure out she is allergic to cacti? I’m not sure I’ve ever had the opportunity!Inquiring minds want to know!
Can we talk about coincidence? Last week, Anne and I went to Evans Farmhouse to learn about high-quality milk and butter and such, and randomly brought along a friend we had met the day before from Iceland. Well it turns out that Evans Farmhouse is where they process Siggi’s skyr. Our Icelandic friend was very excited, and we got a chance to try it right from the cow, you could say. It was amazing.
Ohh, I just had my first Siggi yogurts two weeks ago and I’m smitten. How great that you got to meet him! But I have to ration them out a bit or I’ll go broke…
What? No snozzberry smoothie?Siggi seems very intense. Cute, but intense. I like.Damn my rural location. Now I’ll have to make the trek to a Whole Foods (3 hours away, methinks) and try this. I’m wondering if Christine and I live near each other!?!
He’s cute! I like Tribeca and good yogurt! Lets hang out Siggi…
Oh wow, this is awesome! I’m actually part Icelandic, but as a third generation American whose older relatives are mostly deceased now, the only culinary connection that I have to the culture is my 100% Icelandic (but Brooklyn-born) grandma’s recipe for jolakake (a dense, cardamom-fragranced, raisin-studded, heavenly-tasting Christmas cake). I’ve seen skyr occasionally and have wanted to try it, but now I’ll definitely look for Siggi’s at Whole Foods here in Philly! My husband and I also intend to visit Iceland at some future point – is there any chance that Siggi would be willing to share travel advice? 🙂
I went to Whole Foods and got one of every flavor. The orange ginger is just absolutely freakin’ amazing.
Never heard of this yogurt, but i bought 3 flavors of it today when i went to Whole Foods…very excited to try it!
I am a huge fan of Siggi’s and I consider it a huge step up from plain Greek yogurt (I was sick of adding my own flavoring to make it palatable). One thing to note about the price, Astrid, is that I heard it takes 3-4 times more milk to make a container of skyr than it does a container of typical “American” yogurt, so you’re getting a lot more. It’s hard to consider a 6 oz. container of American yogurt a meal, but I can easily feel full after a Siggi’s – 16 grams of protein and only 120 calories!
I saw this yogurt at whole foods a few weeks ago. attractive packaging. Then I saw the price. I couldn’t do it. I can’t pay $2.49 for 5 oz. of yogurt. I’ll stick with my Liberte brand from Quebec. Great and informative post, Adam.
wait, so how is this different than yogurt cheese?
Just returned from an awesome 2 week hiking trip to Iceland with the family. Great country-wish we had more time. Ate a lot of Skyr! It’s awesome my two 9 year old kids loved it also! We ate it multiple times a day. Even had a creme brulee-skyr our last day! I had never heard of this until our trip July 2008. I have been trying to find it since I’ve been back. We are in Texas and looks like unable to get Skyr here. Bummer. Loved the blog!! I miss skyr!!!!!Mylene
I just bought a plain skyr PURELY BASED ON THIS BLOG post. It is delicious. Just like Fage and unbelievably 100 calories. I tried mine with both honey and currant preserves, both with sliced toasted almonds.YUM.If only it wasn’t $2.59 per container (Boston price).
I definately like the texture of Siggi’s Skyr but it’s a bit tart for me, I added a bit of honey to it and its still tart but lovely!
made the trip an hour and a half to whole foods in raleigh, nc. awesome stuff but i agree on the price. Im paying $2.99 here in the south.
Siggi’s is by far my most favorite yogurt. YUM!
So cool! Two years ago, I went on a holiday to Iceland – and indeed, the food is very healthy there, lots of fish … and of course the skyr! Absolutely loved it – good to see it’s catching on outside Iceland. Although I haven’t found a shop yet here in the Netherlands that sells it, but we’ll wait and see.For those who are looking for a substitute: it does taste a lot like Greek yoghurt (e.g. Total).
I just bought a plain skyr PURELY BASED ON THIS BLOG post. It is delicious. Just like Fage and unbelievably 100 calories. I tried mine with both honey and currant preserves, both with sliced toasted almonds.YUM.If only it wasn’t $2.59 per container (Boston price).
Thank you for posting this unique product… it sounds delicious… like good for you cheesecake (my dream!). I suppose I will now have to see if it is sold at the Whole Foods in Canada.Happy to see it doesn’t come in a traditional gravlax flavour but the orange and ginger sounds lovely.
Haven’t been able to find Siggi’s way out here on the left coast, however this post did inspire me to try some seriously traditional Greek yogurt – and it blew my mind. Nice one!
ok, i’m in… just bought two of them at lifethyme in the village. for $3.49 apiece! they’d better be good!!!
ok, i’m in… just bought two of them at lifethyme in the village. for $3.49 apiece! they’d better be good!!!
Hi y’allI’m an Icelander and decided to generously give you just a bit of insider info :0)Skyr was originally sold in wax paper or something similar to that, until the later part of the last century, that’s how thick it can be in its *raw* (that is unblended) version. I often had / have skyr as such and my favorite version (for taste, not healthyness!) – would be like my father prepared it for me as a child :0) first, mix it up with some sugar, best done with a fork. Then, gather the skyr + sugar blend up to the side of the bowl and add a mixture of milk and cream (so you can take a bit of skyr and milk to the side on the spoon. This is science, people ;0) ). Top with some more sugar if not sweet enough, and add blueberries, strawberries and/or bilberries.A twist of this is often served as a fancy desert in Icelandic restaurants, especially in tourist menus.In later years producers began selling the skyr with added flavor – blueberry, strawberry, melon cocktail, pear… These are sometimes sweetened with sugar and sometimes with xylitol or other such sweeteners, and are for instance among the most popular on-the-go foods for toddlers.These flavored skyr-types (or the *raw* version for the health nuts) are extremely popular in smoothies – just add some fruit, a bit of low-fat milk, something to sweeten it if necessary (agave, maple syrup…), blend it, and you’ve got yourself a major protein, calcium and vitamin c bomb – a sure winner for anyone thinking of their health :0)
I came home with some Siggi’s Skyr and my wife was like, “i seriously can’t let you go to the store by yourself, last week you brought home japanese red rice ale for $5/bottle, and now you’ve bought yogurt that costs $3/container…”she was right of course..”but honey”, I said, “Orange Ginger in a cool package” because that’s really the only reason I had bought it.”you’ll see” she said, “it will taste like dirt”.So I opened the package and stuck my spoon into this thick creamy white mixture, so thick that your spoon will stand up straight if left to nothing but yogurt and gravity. I put a spoonful in my mouth and fell in love. Real food, made from realness which is so hard to find in the US, not sugary sweet, not chemically sweet, in fact barely sweet. This is the kind of food that makes you think of blonde, tanned, healthy Scandis biking through copenhagen, stopping off for a mid afternoon snack on the way to the gammel strand. I know, wrong country, but I can’t control my images.I gave a spoonful to my wife and she said, “hmm..hmm..” she swallowed the yogurt, looked at me, and said, “no more japanese red ale, I don’t want to see it in this fridge”Victorious.
Has anyone found this in Houston, TX? I need some for Christmas!Please email me directly if you havejennigrace@gmail.com
I love this stuff. I picked it up at Whole Foods (Cambridge, MA) on a whim a few months ago because they were out of my usual Fage 0% and I have yogurt every morning for breakfast. It’s amazing. I like the plain the best, but the ginger orange comes in a close second. I, too, thought it was a little expensive at first — and the price just went up to $2.79 — but given that it nearly and made from grass-fed cows, I think it is worth it. I only wish he sold bigger containers for those of us who eat yogurt everyday; it would be more economical and earth friendly.
Where can you purchase this yogurt in Canada in the prairie provinces?????
Just returned from an awesome 2 week hiking trip to Iceland with the family. Great country-wish we had more time. Ate a lot of Skyr! It’s awesome my two 9 year old kids loved it also! We ate it multiple times a day. Even had a creme brulee-skyr our last day! I had never heard of this until our trip July 2008. I have been trying to find it since I’ve been back. We are in Texas and looks like unable to get Skyr here. Bummer. Loved the blog!! I miss skyr!!!!!Mylene
OMG – I had it for the first time today. It is totally amazing! At first, I thought I picked up a yogurt parfait, but after I took a bite, I read the label and it was Skyr! After doing quite a bit of research, I am in love. I will definitely buy more!
Hi y’allI’m an Icelander and decided to generously give you just a bit of insider info :0)Skyr was originally sold in wax paper or something similar to that, until the later part of the last century, that’s how thick it can be in its *raw* (that is unblended) version. I often had / have skyr as such and my favorite version (for taste, not healthyness!) – would be like my father prepared it for me as a child :0) first, mix it up with some sugar, best done with a fork. Then, gather the skyr + sugar blend up to the side of the bowl and add a mixture of milk and cream (so you can take a bit of skyr and milk to the side on the spoon. This is science, people ;0) ). Top with some more sugar if not sweet enough, and add blueberries, strawberries and/or bilberries.A twist of this is often served as a fancy desert in Icelandic restaurants, especially in tourist menus.In later years producers began selling the skyr with added flavor – blueberry, strawberry, melon cocktail, pear… These are sometimes sweetened with sugar and sometimes with xylitol or other such sweeteners, and are for instance among the most popular on-the-go foods for toddlers.These flavored skyr-types (or the *raw* version for the health nuts) are extremely popular in smoothies – just add some fruit, a bit of low-fat milk, something to sweeten it if necessary (agave, maple syrup…), blend it, and you’ve got yourself a major protein, calcium and vitamin c bomb – a sure winner for anyone thinking of their health :0)
Aww…I liked the photo that used to be at the top of this post.
Thank you for posting this unique product… it sounds delicious… like good for you cheesecake (my dream!). I suppose I will now have to see if it is sold at the Whole Foods in Canada.Happy to see it doesn’t come in a traditional gravlax flavour but the orange and ginger sounds lovely.
Wow – I live in Australia and haven’t seen skyr here – but it sounds marvellous! I use creme fraiche for many things, but I think skyr would be a much healthier alternative.Thanks for expanding my knowledge (and activating my covetous side!)