AB Mjólk

A special Icelandic dairy product

Dairy products are an integral part of traditional Icelandic cuisine, including many things that are not known in most other countries, such as AB mjólk. 

In Icelandic supermarkets, such as here at Bónus in Selfoss, there are often separate "cold rooms". Usually in one corner there is a room for fruit and vegetables - and in another corner there is the "cold room" for dairy and meat products ("mjólkurvara og kjötvara"). 

In the dairy products department you will find milk, butter, yoghurt, cream, sour cream, thick milk, cheese - and of course a lot of skyr from various companies and in many varieties. Here is the view of the corner with milk and skyr.

Most Icelanders love dairy products. The per capita consumption is 60% higher in Iceland than in EU countries. So it is no wonder that there is such a large selection in the supermarkets!

One of the best-known Icelandic companies specialized in the production and sale of dairy products in the country is MS (Mjólkursamsalan), an association of milk-processing companies. Meanwhile, MS no longer produces only for the Icelandic market. Already in 2006, MS began to export its "Ísey Skyr" to the US. Meanwhile the skyr is exported to 20 countries. 

 

Another typical Icelandic product of the company MS, which you can only get in Iceland, is AB mjólk. 

What is AB mjólk?

In principle, AB mjólk is  a probiotic milk product, which has a consistency similar to yogurt. It is produced with the help of the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus (A) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (B). Both are gram-positive bacteria that ferment homofermentative glucose into lactic acid and do not form gases. 

Both types of bacteria survive the journey through the human stomach quite well and can continue their "work" in the intestine, where they help to build and maintain a healthy bacterial flora. It is said that they improve digestion and strengthen the endogenous defence.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is relatively widespread and is often used in other countries for the production of probiotic yogurt.  Bifidobacterium bifidum is used in Denmark for special curdled milk products. However, I haven't found the combination of both of these bacteria in any othe product except Icelandic AB mjólk.

 

AB mjólk tastes mild and slightly sour.

I prefer to use the AB mjólk as a dessert with fresh fruits.

But you can also take them for breakfast with cereals or use them for cooking and baking, e.g. for bread, rolls or sweet pastries such as skúffukaka. You can also use it in salad dressings, fish casseroles and many other dishes.

I guess I have to introduce you to some recipes with AB milk in the near future, what do you think..?

Berjaís

Berry ice cream

For this ice cream you use frozen berries, you can vary depending on your taste or take a berry mixture. 

Ingredients

450 g frozen berries

100 g brown sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 pinch of ground vanilla

450 g vanilla skyr

Preparation

Put the frozen berries with the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until a nice soft mass is formed.

Then puree the mixture and let it cool. 

Stir the egg yolk with the sugar and ground vanilla until frothy.

Stir in the vanilla skyr.

Add the berry puree and mix well until a nice uniform mass is formed. 

Pour the ice into a mould (e.g. into a cake tin lined with foil) and let it freeze in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Serve the finished berry ice cream as balls or sliced. In addition we had chocolate biscuits and some fresh basil.

Lax í kókóssúpu með rauðu karrí

Ingredients for 4 servings

Many Icelandic chefs love to combine classic Icelandic ingredients such as salmon and cumin with foreign ingredients - and in particular Asian influence often finds its way into Icelandic cooking pots, such as coconut milk and fresh coriander. 

Especially coriander is something I have often met in the current everyday kitchen on Iceland!

Ingredients for 4 servings

600 g salmon fillets

2 Tbsp oil

1 onion

2 carrots

2 - 3 paprika peppers

1 - 2 chili peppers

1 tsp ground cumin

250 ml coconut milk

250 g cooking cream

400 ml vegetable broth

2 tbsp red curry paste

1 pkg sugar peas

salt and pepper

fresh coriander

Preparation

Wash, clean and chop the onions, carrot, paprika peppers and chili peppers.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.

Fry the chopped vegetables briefly in the hot oil. Sprinkle with ground cumin.

Pour in the coconut milk, cooking cream and vegetable broth.

Stir in the curry paste.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, cut the salmon into strips about 1 inch (2 cm) thick, brush with a little oil, salt and pepper and grill in the oven for about 15 minutes.

For the last 5 minutes, add the sugar peas to the curry soup and cosimmer them.

Wash the coriander, pluck and add to the soup.

Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the grilled salmon on the soup plates, pour over the soup and serve directly.