Yoghurt: Encyclopedia - Yoghurt

Yoghurt

Yoghurt or yogurt, less commonly yoghourt or yogourt, is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Any sort of milk may be used to make yoghurt, but modern production is dominated by cow's milk. It is the fermentation of milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid that gives yoghurt its gel-like texture and characteristic tang. It is often sold in a fruit, vanilla, or chocolate flavour, but can also be unflavoured.

Yoghurt - History

Yoghurt is traditionally believed to be an invention of the Bulgars from Central Asia, although there is evidence of other cultured milk products in other cultures 4500 years ago. The Bulgars (also Hunno-Bulgars), were the first significant Turkic speaking people to migrate to Europe, starting from the 2nd century AD, eventually settling on the Balkans by the end of the 7th century AD. The earliest yoghurts were probably spontaneously fermented, perhaps by wild bacteria residing inside goat skin bags used for transportation.

The word derives from the Turkish yoğurt (pronounced [jɔˈurt]) deriving from the verb yoğurmak, which means "to blend", a reference to how yoghurt is made. The letter ğ is silent between back vowels in Modern Turkish, but was formerly pronounced as a voiced velar fricative [ɣ]. English pronunciation varies in different regions according to the local accent but common pronunciations include /ˈjɒgət/ and /ˈjoʊgɚt/.

Yoghurt remained primarily a food of India, Central Asia, Western Asia, South Eastern Europe and Central Europe until the 1900s, when a Russian biologist named Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov theorized that heavy consumption of yoghurt was responsible for the unusually long lifespans of Bulgarian peasants. Believing lactobacillus to be essential for good health, Mechnikov worked to popularize yoghurt as a foodstuff throughout Europe. It fell to a Spanish entrepreneur named Isaac Carasso to industrialise the production of yoghurt. In 1919 he started a commercial yoghurt plant in Barcelona, naming the business Danone after his son — the group trades as Dannon in the US.

Yoghurt with added fruit marmalade was invented (and patented) in 1933 in dairy Radlická Mlékárna in Prague. The original intention of this combination was to protect yoghurt better against decay.

Yoghurt was first commercially produced and sold in the United States in 1929 by Armenian immigrants, Rose and Sarkis Colombosian, whose family business later became Colombo Yogurt.

Yoghurt - Presentation

Yoghurt is often sold sweetened and flavoured, or with added fruit on the bottom (sometimes referred to as fruit bottom), to offset its natural sourness. If the fruit is already stirred into the yoghurt, it is sometimes referred to as Swiss-style. Most yoghurt in the United States has pectin or gelatin added. Some specialty yoghurts have a layer of fermented fat at the top similar to cream cheese, e.g. Brown Cow Yoghurt. Fruit jam is used instead of raw fruit pieces in case of fruit yoghurts (despite what is in television commercials) so that they can be stored for weeks without mildew.

Yoghurt - Dahi yoghurt

Dahi yoghurt of the Indian subcontinent is known for its characteristic taste and consistency.

Yoghurt - Bulgarian yoghurt

Bulgarian yoghurt is popular for its specific taste, aroma, and quality and is commonly consumed plain. The qualities are specific to the particular culture strains used in Bulgaria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. Bulgarian yoghurt producers are taking steps to legally protect the trademark of Bulgarian yoghurt on the European market and distinguish it from other product types that do not contain live bacteria.

Bulgarian yoghurt is often strained by hanging in a cloth for a few hours to reduce water content. The resulting yoghurt is creamier, richer and milder in taste because of increased fat content. Hanging overnight is sometimes employed to make a concentrated yoghurt similar to cream cheese. Yoghurt is also used for preparation of Bulgarian milk salad (also known as Greek tzatziki sauce). Commercial versions of strained yoghurt are also made.

A cold soup (called tarator in Bulgaria and cacık in Turkey) made of yoghurt is popular in Turkey and Bulgaria in the summertime. It is made from Ayran, cucumbers, garlic and ground walnuts.

Yoghurt - Greek yoghurt

Greek "full" yoghurt is made from milk that has been blended with cream to a fat content of exactly ten percent. Standard (5%), low-fat (2%) and non-fat (0%) versions are also made. It is often served with honey, walnuts or fruit preserves as a dessert. The Greek traditional tzatziki sauce, used on a gyros sandwich, is made from yoghurt, cucumber, and garlic.

Yoghurt - Lassi yoghurt

Lassi is a yoghurt-based beverage, originally from India where two basic varieties are known: salty and sweet. Salty lassi is usually flavoured with ground-roasted cumin and chile peppers; the sweet variety with rosewater and/or lemon, mango, or other fruit juice. Another yoghurt-based beverage, a salty drink called Ayran is quite popular in Turkey and Bulgaria. It is made by mixing yoghurt with water and adding salt. The same drink is known as tan in Armenia. A similar drink, Doogh, is popular in the Middle East between Lebanon and Iran; it differs from ayran by the addition of herbs (usually mint) and being carbonated (usually with seltzer water).

Yoghurt - Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk drink originating in the Caucasus. A related Central Asian-Mongolian drink made from mare's milk is called kumis or, in Mongolia, airag. Some American dairies have offered a drink called "kefir" for many years (though lacking the carbonation and alcohol, and coming in fruit flavours), but began appearing (as of 2002) with names like "drinkable yoghurt" and "yoghurt smoothie".

Yoghurt - Home-made yoghurt

Home-made yoghurt is consumed by many people throughout the world, and is the norm in countries where yoghurt has an important place in traditional cuisine, such as Bulgaria, Turkey, and India. Yoghurt can be made at home using a small amount of store-bought plain live active culture yoghurt as the starter culture. One very simple recipe starts with a litre of low-fat milk, but requires some means to incubate the fermenting yoghurt at a constant 43°C (109°F) for several hours. Yoghurt-making machines are available for this purpose. A run of the mill heating pad found in a pharmacy for muscle aches (set at medium), with a pot of tepid water on top to place the milk in, works fine. As with all fermentation processes, cleanliness is very important.

• Bring the milk to 85°C (185°F) over a stove and keep it there for two minutes, to kill any undesirable microbes.
• Pour the re-pasteurised milk into a tall, sterile container and allow to cool to 43°C (110°F)
• Mix in 120ml of the warmed yoghurt and cover tightly.
• After about six hours of incubation at precisely 43°C (110°F); the entire mixture will have become a very plain but edible yoghurt with a loose consistency.
  • If a precise means of temperature control is not available, put the culture in a warm place such as on top of a water heater or in a gas oven with just the pilot flame burning. An electric oven with the light on may work nicely, depending on the bulb size. The further below 43°C (110°F) the temperature, the longer it will take for the yoghurt to solidify; you can tell it is done when it no longer moves if you tilt the jar.

In Japan, Caspian Sea Yoghurt is a very popular home-made yoghurt. It is believed to have been introduced into the country by researchers in the form of a sample brought back from Georgia in the Caucasus region in 1986. [1] This Georgian yogurt, called Matsoni which is mostly made up of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Acetobacter orientalis[2] has a unique viscous, honey-like texture and is milder in taste than many other yoghurts.

Caspian Sea yoghurt is particularly well suited for making at home because it does not require any special equipment and cultures at room temperature (20–30°C) in about 10 to 15 hours, depending on the temperature. [3] In Japan it is possible to buy a freeze-dried starter culture at big department stores or online, but many people obtain a quantity of the yoghurt from a friend and start making their own yoghurt from that.

• General instructions: sterilise all utensils, containers and lids in boiling water prior to use.
  • From freeze-dried starter: stir starter into 500ml of milk. Make the next batch as below (from the actual yoghurt as the starter).
  • From yoghurt: In winter, use one part yoghurt to four parts milk. In summer use one part yoghurt to nine parts milk.
• Place the lid gently on top of the container so as to allow some air in, but prevent contamination. Leave in a clean dry place for 10-15 hours or until thick. In summer, this may be less than 10 hours and in winter, longer than 15 hours.
• Some thickening of the yoghurt will also occur in the refrigerator.
• The yoghurt can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week or longer.

See also

• Greek products
• Cuisine of Greece
• Fruit bottom
• Ayran
• Cheese and Sirene
• Kefir
• 'Yoplait' brand yoghurt
• Bulgarian cuisine
• YoGo
• Cacık
• Danone

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Yoghurt", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki