Icelandic cattle are a breed of cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 native to Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

. Cattle originally came to Iceland with settlers around 1000 AD. Icelandic cows are an especially colorful breed. Icelandic cows have been genetically isolated for centuries, but are most closely related to a breed in Norway called Blacksided Trender and Nordland Cattle. They are have been protected by strict disease-prevention measures. According to the Agricultural University of Iceland, it would be more cost-effective to replace Icelandic cows with Swedish cows. However, some have argued that Icelandic Cows are part of Iceland's cultural heritage and should not be replaced.

Gudni Ágústsson, former Icelandic minister of agriculture, once kissed an Icelandic cow.

The milk from Icelandic cows is used to make Skyr

Skyr

Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy product, similar to strained yogurt. Technically it is a very soft cheese. It is very popular in Icelandic cuisine. Skyr was originally discovered by accident. A group of farmers in Iceland in the early settlement days poured skim milk over barrels of meat to...

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External links

• Different -Casein Fractions in Icelandic Versus Scandinavian Cow's Milk
• Variation in consumption of cow milk proteins and lower incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Iceland vs the other 4 Nordic countries
• Differences in cow's milk composition between Iceland and the other Nordic countries and possible connections to public health
• "THE BISHOP’S BEEF: Improved Cattle in Eighteenth Century Skálholt, Iceland" by George Hambrecht, Stanford Journal of Archaeology
• Islandic Cattle Breeds