Milk
Historically Icelandic sheep were used for milk. There is an 8-week period where Icelandic ewes give milk. After the first two weeks, the lambs were weaned off the mother's milk. Then for the next 6 weeks, the ewes would be milked daily. Most provided about 1 litre (2 imp pt) of milk per day, while good ewes gave 2 litres (4 imp pt) to 3 litres (5 imp pt). The milk was used directly, or made into butter, cheese, an Icelandic soft cheese called skyr, or naturally sweet yogurt. Sheep milk is good for cheese, because it is high in fat and dissolved solids. A high yield of high-quality cheese can therefore be made from small amounts of the milk.
Sheep are not milked in Iceland today, and instead the lamb is allowed to continue suckling.
Read more about this topic: Icelandic Sheep
Famous quotes containing the word milk:
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—Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. In marble walls as white as milk (Riddle: An Egg)
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)