Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.08.2016, Qupperneq 51

Hverfisgata 12 · 101 Reykjavík
Tel. +354 552 15 22 · www.dillrestaurant.is
Lífið er saltfiskur
#109 Dill is a Nordic restaurant with its
focus on Iceland, the pure nature and
all the good things coming from it.

It does not matter if it’s the
ingredients or the old traditions, we
try to hold firmly on to both.
There are not many things that make
us happier than giving life to old
traditions and forgotten ingredients
with modern technique and our creative
mind as a weapon.
1 0 1 Ó Ð I N S T O R G R E Y K J A V Í K Í S L A N D S N A P S B I S T R O . I S
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F R E N C H O N I O N S O U P
I c e l a n d i c Í s b ú i c h e e s e , c r o û t o n s
2 . 3 0 0 . k r
M O U L E S M A R I N I È R E S
s t e a m e d m u s s e l s f r o m B r e i ð a f j ö r ð u r
2 . 1 0 0 . k r
F I S H O F T H E D A Y
c h e f ´ s s p e c i a l
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E s t . 2 0 1 2R e y k j a v i k
51The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 — 2016 Wake Up Skyrple
Find the best food in Iceland!
Download our free dining app, CRAVING
on the Apple and Android stores
In Iceland you don’t talk about
syr! Mention the Ukrainian white
cheese, and you’ll be in for a fes-
tival of denial. In Iceland there is
no such thing as syr, it’s skyr and
skyr is unique.
Some might know the Ukrai-
nian white cheese, most do not.
All agree that it has no relation to
skyr. Those who do know syr can
quickly tell you it is an inferior
product. Skyr is different, purer,
healthier and—especially—more
Icelandic and therefore unique.
It’s the food of gods, vikings
and our forefathers. Passed from
one generation to another, still
the same as it always was. Don’t
you dare think otherwise! At least
show the decency not to speak oth-
erwise. Yes, the cultures used in
modern skyr are often imported, its
manufacturing is nothing like what
it used to be and yes, Skyr.is, the
biggest brand, is really just a yogurt.
No spoilers!
In Iceland we don’t let facts spoil
great stories. So our skyr is as
unique as we tell you it is.
Like many things, skyr is a vic-
tim of our obsession with Iceland’s
place in the world. We have spent
decades cultivating an image of an
harsh, isolated island in the middle
of the Atlantic—that is our brand.
A country of workers, doers and go-
getters. The purest food, strongest
men, most beautiful women, great-
est thinkers, avid readers, poets and
authors—all skyreaters.
A nation of vikings, traditional
but yet so modern—a hidden gem.
A progressive utopia in the north
that somehow consistently man-
ages to be unaffected by the short-
comings of our modern world. A
haven for all that can afford it—
others can stay out and asylum
seekers will be deported.
Despite punching above our
weight in many ways, we Iceland-
ers are acutely aware of the fact
that we rarely get a seat at the big
boys’ table. Unless they disagree
with each other or want to wage
wars, that is. For those instances
Iceland makes a great partner! A
peace-loving nation always gag-
ging for a place among a coalition
of the willing.
The great white hope
Skyr is less of a food than proof of
our exceptionalism. In order to fit
a carefully manufactured idea of
Iceland it must be Icelandic, and
only Icelandic. Skyr can’t be Ice-
landic and Ukrainian—let alone
Russian, German, Lithuanian or
French. It can have no relation to
the German quark, and must be
something entirely different from
fromage blanc. While skyr is obvi-
ously not the same as other cul-
tures’ other cultures, its creation
and history is part of a global con-
tinuum. Just like Icelanders, a cul-
ture of migrants.
What would people think if
skyr were as global as water, bread
and cultured dairy? What if the
skyr we eat and export today isn’t
anything like the skyr of our fore-
fathers? What if the cultures used
in its production are just as global
and homogeneous as any other
mass-produced dairy product?
Unspeakable! Skyr cannot be
globalised in origin and produc-
tion. Skyr is Icelandic and Iceland
is a pure, isolated and unique.
So we don’t talk about syr...
Let’s Talk About Syr
“Skyr is less of a food than proof of our exceptionalism.
In order to fit a carefully manufactured idea of Iceland it
must be Icelandic, and only Icelandic.”
Words ATLI THOR FANNDAL Illustration SVEINBJÖRN PÁLSSON
CULTURE CULTURE