Discovering yogurt the way it used to be

Newsday ^ | 8/7/2002 | Erica Marcus

[a_Turk]

Cheap and versatile, widely acclaimed for its nutritional benefits and a central component of some of the world's great cuisines, plain yogurt has nevertheless failed to win many converts in America. It's watery, detractors complain, and too sharp.

So we package it with fruit and flavorings in an effort to make it more like pudding, or sweeten it and freeze it in an attempt to ape ice cream.

But more and more people are starting to enjoy yogurt the way it is eaten in "the old country" - thick enough to hold its shape and unashamed of its pronounced tang.

[a_Turk]

Hey, thanks for fixing it!

[a_Turk]

ping!

[The Energizer]

Thanks. I used to make my own yogurt once a week. Think I'll start again!

While in Turkey, I did try the yogurt drink. What is that called?

[xJones]

I just did a short Google search on yogurt: cheese and moose. I do hope that you realize that you may have opened yourself to an attack by the dire and deadly "cheese, moose, and biting your sister" gang. :)

[hellinahandcart]

I buy yogurt from a Greek place around here. It's thicker than sour cream and excellent for cooking, unlike the appalling non-fat commercial variety that dominates the supermarkets here.

You can't cook with non-fat yogurt.

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

I don't care what you call it or how much you try to disguise it with fruit and nuts. The plain simple fact is:

IT'S STILL SPOILED MILK!

[a_Turk]

It's spelled "Ayran" and pronounced something like "eyeraahn" where the "A" in Turkish sounds like the "A" in the English word "arc."

[a_Turk]

LOL! Drink some spoiled milk and see what your stomach does.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

I once saw a story on TV about people who have lived over 100 - there is a place in that part of the world where octogenarians? is that what they are called? abound --- and the secret of their longevity was EATING YOGURT EVERY DAY! (real yogurt).

Would like to know more about the benefits of REAL yogurt for one's health. Thanks for the post.

[hellinahandcart]

octogenarians = eighties

centenarians = hundreds

Yogurt is full of acidopholus, a beneficial bacteria. That may have something to do with it.

[TomSmedley]

It's spelled "Ayran" and pronounced something like "eyeraahn" where the "A" in Turkish sounds like the "A" in the English word "arc."

As the 2nd most famous Turk in history said, "Fakat ya tutarsa!"

[Ff--150]

"a Turk" must like kefir, too...

[a_Turk]

[WaterDragon]

My favorite food (I eat it daily) in this world is plain yogurt, super tangy, live-culture, OCCASIONALLY with fresh fruit added.Mmmmmmmmmmmm Really, nothing is so filling and refreshing as a dish of yogurt for breakfast or lunch. Or for me, on busy days, both.

[WaterDragon]

It's hard to find good yogurt here....they all add SUGAR...yech. But I finally found a brand that doesn't. Costs the earth because there's little market for it.

[a_Turk]

I had given up and have been using Dannon Plain. What brand is it?

[WaterDragon]

It's a local dairy. Can't remember the name they put on the yogurt. But I can buy big containers of it there.

[WaterDragon]

I had an ulcer years ago and live culture yogurt was what the doc recommended to heal it. It worked and I was hooked.

[hellinahandcart]

I had given up and have been using Dannon Plain.

Oh, yuck.

Look around for a brand in a light yellow or beige package, called "Stonyfield" or "Stonybrook Farm". They're just about the last company I know of that produces a full-fat yogurt available at grocery stores.