From Iceland to Fargo: Food and Heritage
- Icelandic Roots
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Public Webinar on Friday, 27 April 2026
Jen Nelson joined the Icelandic Roots Member Tour in 2025 and came home with a newfound love of skyr.
Skyr is often mistaken for yogurt, but skyr is thicker and creamier in texture. Made with heirloom Icelandic cultures, it has a rich mouthfeel and a less tangy taste. Skyr is mentioned in several medieval Icelandic sources, including Egil's saga and Grettis saga, but no one knows how similar it was to modern skyr. With a 1000-year history, skyr is still consumed daily by Icelanders as a healthy, high-protein breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Back home, Jen missed this Icelandic staple and began researching and experimenting with making it at home. She discovered that, with the right tools and guidance, it’s not that complicated.
Join us on April 27, 2026, when Jen will share her journey from her introduction to skyr in Iceland to learning how to make it herself. Be part of a conversation that explores how Icelandic culinary traditions, like skyr and other time-honored recipes, are finding new life in North America. We’ll explore heritage, migration, and how food carries Icelandic identity across generations and continents.
Jen and her husband, Chris, are opening a new Icelandic-inspired café in Fargo, North Dakota. They’re blending traditional Icelandic foods with modern, local flavors, and their house-made skyr will be a signature item on the menu. Jen will talk about how the simple and rooted nature of Icelandic food culture inspired her to turn her foodie experience in Iceland into something tangible.
Jen has been a member of Icelandic Roots since 2020 and is also a 2003 Snorri alum.
See the Events Calendar for more information about local times and to get the Zoom link.
