Yogurt

  •  Yogurt is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean world. In fact it comes from Turkey and Lebanon besides Bulgaria and Romania. The word yogurt comes from the Turkish language. Those who promote the generalized consumption of yogurt in the western world assure that there exists a relationship between the high life expectancies of some Balkan zones and the fact that fermented milk was part of the common diet. In Turkey it is the most consumed lactic. 
  • In several Mediterranean countries local varieties of yogurt are made, such as jameed in Jordan or zabady in Egypt. Many of them are "pressed": the whey is taken out and thus, the yogurt is thicker. In those yogurts no live bacteria are left. Some examples are strangisto in Greece, labne in the Arab countries (mainly in the Near East) or shanklich in Lebanon. 
  • Other fermented milks made with other bacteria also have a Mediterranean taste: kiselo mleko and pavlaka in Serbia, mileram in Croatia, jameed in Jordan (they are typically made by Bedouins in the desert with ewe or goat milk), leben in Morocco or raibb in Tunisia. 
  • The yogurt is quite present in the Mediterranean gastronomy, as well as in other ones, such as the Indian one. These are quite famous, the Greek tzatziki or ayran, a drink made of yogurt and salt which is popular in Macedonia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and countries in central Asia. Less known are the cold soups such as tarator and cacik which are made in Macedonia and Turkey. 
  • The founder of the brand Danone was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and he founded his company in Barcelona, Spain, in 1919.
10/06/2010 - 19:32