Siggi's Yogurt

 My grocery shopping and eating habits encompass both frugality and excess. I love finding good deals, especially on unique ingredients and local restaurants, but I am also tempted by luxury. With some exceptions, the principle that "you get what you pay for" is usually true of food. Higher prices often mean greater quality; therefore, sometimes I buy food simply because it's more expensive. Paying a higher price often means you're supporting a privately owned enterprise instead of a huge corporation, too, and I definitely believe in supporting entrepreneurs and local business. Sometimes though, like today, I am entranced by the sheer hedonism of a particular food product.

I was rushed in the supermarket this morning, trying to pick up coffee (necessity) and lunch before racing to school, but I hadn't eaten breakfast. As I passed the organic dairy aisle on my way to pick up my beloved Annie Chun's noodle bowl, I spotted yogurt. Perfect. But as I reached for some 89-cent soy yogurt (already kind of expensive, but after Europe, I don't mess around with yogurt), a new product caught my eye: Siggi's Icelandic style skyr, strained non-fat yogurt. It was $1.99 for 2 ounces. I had to have it. The astronomical price proved its quality.

It comes in a gorgeous little paper container with a peel-off silver foil top. Whoever designed this creamy white, streamlined image was a genius. It practically reeks of purity. As you can see in the image, the packaging states clearly what it does NOT contain: basically, anything fake and/or otherwise nasty. The ingredients? Absolutely natural. My vanilla-flavored cup contained skim milk, agave nectar, Madagascar bourbon vanilla, live active cultures, and vegetable rennet.

The texture was unbelievably thick and coated my mouth instantly. It was very lightly sweetened and very tangy. Flecks of vanilla bean were clearly visible. The overwhelming combination of these factors made me stop halfway through and come back to it. I compare it to Greek yogurt, as it's made with a similar straining process, only perhaps even thicker. The quality was certainly unsurpassed by any other yogurt I've had. However, I wouldn't buy this on a regular basis. This isn't an everyday breakfast yogurt, especially at $2 per serving. But it was a worthwhile indulgence, and I'm happy to support a company that's bringing a distinctly cultural product to a wider audience.