what is skyr yogurt

Skyr is a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product that has the consistency of strained yogurt but a milder flavor. It is a type of cheese rather than yogurt, somewhat like ricotta or mascarpone. Skyr is made by removing the cream from skim milk, heating the milk to an exact temperature, and adding live bacterial cultures, including Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, which ferment the milk and transform it into thick and creamy Skyr. The product is then strained through fabric to remove the liquid whey, and some producers add sugar or flavorings to their Skyr before selling it. Skyr is thicker and creamier in texture than yogurt because of the heirloom Icelandic cultures and dairy milk used to create it. It takes nearly 4 cups of milk to make 1 cup of Skyr, which can explain the rich mouthfeel. Skyr is higher in protein than traditional yogurt and is typically lower in sugar, carbs, and fat than most yogurts. On average, Icelandic Provisions Skyr contains 11 grams of sugar per flavored cup, which is at least 5 grams or 30% less than 5.3 ounces of ordinary flavored yogurts containing at least 16 grams of sugar. Each cup of Skyr has up to 17g of protein.