Yogurt, or substances similar to it have originated in cultures across the globe. Where there has been dairy, there also has been yogurt. However, the first area to discover the tangy dairy variation was probably in the Middle East. In his book "On Food and Cooking" Harold McGee states, "Yogurt and its relatives are native to a broad and climatically warm area of central and southeast Asia, and the Middle East" (1984: 45). The word for yogurt comes from the Turkish language. McGee states, "...it is the Turkish word for milk that has been fermented into a tart semi solid mass; it comes from a root meaning 'thick'" (1984: 47).
Why and how it originated remains a mystery. Many think it occurred by accident. Most likely a wild strain of bacteria was introduced to raw milk and the mixture fermented in a warm place, producing yogurt (Muskevich, 2015). The discovery of yogurt was a welcome find. Milk is high in nutrients, but it contains a sugar known as lactose that is often difficult to digest (McGee, 1984: 44). Although they had been fed milk as babies, many adults had difficulty digesting milk as it was. The fermentation process of milk to yogurt turned the lactose into lactic acid, a substance that is more easily digested (Muskevich, 2015). This allowed societies to take advantage of the easily accessed proteins and nutrients provided by dairy products.
In order to make yogurt, milk must be heated, then cooled to a temperature conducive to fermentation. At this point bacteria is added and the milk is left to sit and ferment. As the milk ferment is shifts from a liquid state to a gel and becomes yogurt.
Yogurt as an ingredient quickly traveled to the countries surrounding Turkey, however it was not until the 20th century that became more widespread in the Western world. In the 1940's Dannon (originally a French company) introduced yogurt to the United States when it began manufacturing yogurt in the Bronx (Muskevich, 2015).
Culinary-wise, yogurt in considered a probiotic food. It contains bacteria that helps to maintain a healthy gut. In America many people eat it with breakfast or as a snack. Yogurt is also incorporated as an ingredient in marinades, soups, smoothies, and baked goods.
According to Worlds Top Exports, Germany is the highest exporter of yogurt (Workman, 2017). I found it interesting that France, where the company Dannon originated from, is now the highest consumer of yogurt in the world.
References:
McGee, Harold. (1948). On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. New York, NY: Scribner.
Muskevich, Adam. (2015). We didn't build this city on rock 'n' roll. It was yogurt. The Salt. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/16/422684872/we-didnt-build-this-city-on-rock-n-roll-it-was-yogurt on 10/04/17.
Workman, Daniel. (2017). Top yogurt exporters. World's Top Exports. Retrieved from http://www.worldstopexports.com/yogurt-exporters/ on 10/04/17.
Note: This was an assignment for my Language of Food class.
