Yoghurt
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Yoghurt or yogurt, or less commonly yoghourt, [joghurt] (in German) or yogourt (see spelling differences), 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 flavor, but can also be unflavored.
History
There is evidence of cultured milk products being produced as for at least 4,500 years, since the 3rd millennium BC. The Bulgars (also Hunno-Bulgars), a Turkic-speaking people from Aryian-Pamirian origin, migrated into 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.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 — better known in the United States as 'Dannon'.
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.
Etymology of 'yoghurt'
The word derives from the Turkish yoğurt (pronounced [jɔˈurt]) deriving from the adjective 'yoğun', which means "dense" and "thick", or from the verb yoğurmak, which means "to knead" (possibly "yoğurmak" the verb originally meant "to make dense"), 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] and still retains this pronunciation in some eastern dialects. English pronunciation varies in different regions according to the local accent but common pronunciations include /ˈjɒgət/ and /ˈjoʊgɚt/.Contents
Yoghurt making involves the introduction of specific bacteria into milk under controlled (very carefully in industrial settings) temperature and environmental conditions. The bacteria ingest the natural milk sugars and release lactic acid as a waste product; the increased acidity, in turn, causes the milk proteins to tangle into a solid mass, (curd, denature). The increased acidity (pH=4–5) also prevents the proliferation of other potentially pathogenic bacteria. To be named yoghurt, the product should at least contain the bacteria Streptococcus salivarius ssp thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (official name Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus). Often these are co-cultured with other lactic acid bacteria for either taste or health effects (probiotics). These include L. acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium'' species.
In most countries, a product may only be called yoghurt if there are live bacteria present in the final product. Pasteurized products (which have no living bacteria) are named fermented milk (drink).
In the US non-pasteurized yoghurt is sold as containing "live active culture" (or just as "live" ), which some believe to be nutritionally superior. In Spain, the yoghurt producers were divided among those who wanted to reserve the name yogurt for live yoghurt and those who wanted to include pasteurised yoghurt under that label (mostly the Pascual Hermanos group). Pasteurized yoghurt has a shelf life of months and does not require refrigeration. Both sides submitted scientific studies claiming differences or lack thereof between both varieties. Eventually the Spanish government allowed the label yogur pasteurizado instead of the former postre lácteo ("dairy dessert").
Because live yoghurt culture contains enzymes that break down lactose, some individuals who are otherwise lactose intolerant find that they can enjoy yoghurt without ill effects. Nutritionally, yoghurt is rich in protein as well as several B vitamins and essential minerals, and it is as low or high in fat as the milk it is made from.
Non-sweetened drinkable yoghurt is typically sold in the West under the name "(cultured) buttermilk." This term is a misnomer, as the drink has little in common with "true" buttermilk and is, in fact, most similar to kefir.
Presentation
Yoghurt is often sold sweetened and flavored, 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. brands like Brown Cow Yoghurt). Fruit jam is used instead of raw fruit pieces in the case of fruit yoghurts so that they can be stored for weeks.
Yoghurt types
Dahi yoghurt
Dahi yoghurt of the Indian subcontinent is known for its characteristic taste and consistency. The English term for yoghurt in India is curd.
Labneh or Labaneh
Labneh yoghurt of Lebanon is a thickened yogurt that is used to make sandwiches by itself, or with olive oil, cucumber slices, olives, and various green herbs. It is also thickened further and rolled into balls that are preserved in olive oil, and fermented further for a few weeks before it is eaten. It is sometimes used with onions, meat, and nuts as a stuffing for a variety of Lebanese pies or Kebbeh كبة balls.
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. This type of yogurt is often labelled and sold as Greek yoghurt, especially in British and American markets. 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. (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 Drinks
Lassi is a yoghurt-based beverage, originally from India where two basic varieties are known: salty and sweet. Salty lassi is usually flavored 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, Bulgaria and Greece. 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). In the United States, yoghurt-based beverages are often marketed under names like "Yogurt Smoothie" or "Drinkable Yogurt".
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 flavors), but began appearing (as of 2002) with names like "drinkable yoghurt" and "yoghurt smoothie".
Homemade 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, Greece[link] 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 120 ml 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.
- *The further below 43°C (110°F) the temperature, the longer it will take for the yoghurt to solidify. 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, or wrap a small towel around the container. An electric oven with the light on may work nicely, depending on the bulb size. You can tell it is done when it no longer moves if you tilt the jar.
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. [link] 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: in a container stir starter into about 250 ml of milk and cover with a lid. Incubation time is approximately 12-36 hours from starter. Make the next batch as below (from the actual yoghurt as the starter).
- * From yoghurt: In winter, use about one part yoghurt to four parts milk. In summer use about 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.
- To reduce contamination, always make the next batch of yoghurt before using the current batch, and use containers solely for making yoghurt and nothing else.
See also
- Curd
- Cuisine of Bulgaria
- Cuisine of Turkey
- Cuisine of Greece
- Probiotic
- Greek products
- Fruit bottom
- Ayran
- Cheese and Sirene
- Sour cream
- Kefir
- 'Yoplait' brand yoghurt
- YoGo
- Cacık
- Danone
- Bulla Dairy Foods
- Müller
- Yeo Valley Organic
External links
- [Iranian Mast (Yogurt)]
- [US National Center for Home Food Preservation: Fermenting Yogurt at Home]
- [Encyclopaedia of Turkey: Yoghurt]
- [Yogurt Forever: The Yogurt Encyclopaedia (PDF)]
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