Author Topic: Hello from Iceland  (Read 5601 times)

sigurdur

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Hello from Iceland
« on: October 31, 2012, 05:11:12 PM »
Hi everyone.

I wanted to chime in and say hello. I registered a while back (year and a half now..) and I think it's time to stop lurking and join the community :)

I run an online cheesemaking supply store from my home in Iceland since ~April this year.

I have been making cheese for approximately two years or more now.

*wave*

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2012, 05:55:10 PM »
Welcome.

Please tell us about Icelandic cheeses.

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2012, 06:05:21 PM »
Welcome Sigurdur!

Do you have some new recipes to share?

Would love to learn about your cheeses!

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2012, 09:57:18 AM »
Thank you! :)

Cheeses in Iceland has been very boring since the law just recently changed for the better - we are now able to import a lot of cheeses that we were not allowed to. This happened this year.

The most consumed cheese in Iceland is fresh Gouda.
Another popular one for parties and special occasions is Camembert.

For the longest time, we were not allowed to import any cheese made from unpasteurized milk, but in April that changed.
We are now not allowed to produce cheese from unpasteurized milk or buy unpasteurized milk.
I find this really horrible.

Anyway, we have one cheese that is quite unique to our country, and that is Skyr. Skyr is made from skimmed milk with some special Skyr culture and rennet.
You should be able to find Skyr in the US under the brand name "Siggi's" - http://www.skyr.com/
"Siggi" is a character from the children's show Lazy Town.

We currently have one big cheese producer here in Iceland that owns 99% of the market, one small cheese house (most of their profit seems to come from selling shredded mozzarella in bulk to pizza places) and a couple of small home/farm cheese makers.

So in essence, the cheese market here in Iceland is pretty much just one big company but that will change with consumer awareness and hopefully small creameries.

:)

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2012, 12:23:37 PM »
Hi Sigurdur!  Iceland is so beautiful!  I was there only once for about 10 days.  I went up north, visiting and riding horses.   I have an Icelandic friend who is a sheep farmer.  She came and lived with my children and I one summer to do some training on our Icelandic horses.  We had a LOT of fun together.  Do people like Brie cheese as well as Camembert?  They are the same recipe except for shape proportions and how the flavor develops.

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2012, 05:21:19 PM »
Here's my favorite cheese recipe:
Google translate URL for my Halloumi

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2012, 05:41:09 PM »
Hi Sigurdur!  Iceland is so beautiful!  I was there only once for about 10 days.  I went up north, visiting and riding horses.   I have an Icelandic friend who is a sheep farmer.  She came and lived with my children and I one summer to do some training on our Icelandic horses.  We had a LOT of fun together.  Do people like Brie cheese as well as Camembert?  They are the same recipe except for shape proportions and how the flavor develops.


Hi Tiarella and thank you  :D

Awesome to hear that you had a pleasant experience with Iceland.
Here, all local "Brie" cheese is in smaller wheels than camembert .. it seems as if the local "Camembert" is the only cheese who's mold size is constant. There is no local big wheel "Brie" here, but I find them at the best cheese monger store here .. and I absolutely go nuts whenever I go there (I spend way too much on cheese for myself  :-[ )
People here like Pen. Cand. and Pen. Roq. cheeses, sometimes even when they're mixed together.

Here's a picture of one of the local cheeses, called "Ugly" - 10 week aged Pen. Roq. cheese .. yummm (so buttery and wonderful)

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2012, 09:36:30 PM »
i have had skyr before, it''s interesting. I have even made it, but that has been many years ago. Maybe I need to make some more, since it has been so long.

I would like to visit Iceland some day myself, maybe you could give me a cheese tour  ;D Maybe you could be my Iceland cheese dealer   ;)

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2012, 09:47:18 PM »
i have had skyr before, it''s interesting. I have even made it, but that has been many years ago. Maybe I need to make some more, since it has been so long.

I would like to visit Iceland some day myself, maybe you could give me a cheese tour  ;D Maybe you could be my Iceland cheese dealer   ;)

Lol..

I'd love to. :)

Spellogue

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2012, 09:47:13 PM »
Those "ugly" cheeses are beautiful.   :)

I don't know anything about Icelandic cheese, but I just love Lopi yarn from Icelandic sheep.  And the colorwork on those yoke sweaters is spectacular.  (I have been a knitter longer than a cheesemaker.).

Your voice is welcome.

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2012, 10:01:07 PM »
Oh wow, Spellogue. My wife loves to knit too and knits a lot of these Yoke sweaters.. :)

laurensinthegarden

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Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2012, 01:42:31 PM »
Hello and welcome!
This is such a wonderful place to learn and get  ideas.  Icelandic butter is absolutely the best! (yes, we can even get it here in New Mexico). I'd like to visit your online store.
laurensinthegarden

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2012, 12:04:28 PM »
Thank you laurensinthegarden!

Wow, I'm amazed that you can get Icelandic butter over there .. I did not know that! (I guess I learn something new every day!)
What type of Icelandic butter do you get over there?
Any of these http://www.ms.is/Vorur/Smjorvorur/Smjor/default.aspx ?

Anyway, you can take a look at my online store on http://www.ostagerd.is/ (there is a GB flag, click it to view the English version)

Cheers!!
/Sig

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2012, 02:27:17 AM »
Lookin good.

What sort of cultures are used to make Skyr? You've got me wanting to try and make some more  ;D

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Hello from Iceland
« Reply #14 on: November 20, 2012, 09:40:21 PM »
Skyr is made from cultured skyr (if you are buying from Iceland - buy from BioBu not MS - MS pasteurizes the skyr [those bastards]), rennet and skimmed milk but you can use raw milk if you want to do it like they used to back in the day.
It is strained through a cloth to seperate the whey and solids.

It's very important to heat the milk up to 90°C and cool it down to 37°C before inoculating the milk with skyr (or so my sources tell me - I've yet to give it a go).

Are you able to source Skyr somewhere?