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Yoghurt is milk to which a bacteria has been added, which thickens the milk, helps to extend its shelf life, and gives it a tangy taste. The bacteria feeds on the lactose sugars in the milk, changing them into lactic acid, which in turn curdles the milk proteins which thickens it into Yoghurt.

There are many varieties. The variety range starts with the milks it can be made from: buffalo, goat, sheep, soy, yak, camel and of course, cow milk, which is what almost all of our commercial Yoghurt is made from. From there, they can be whole milk, low-fat or skim, and active cultures or dead cultures. Yoghurt made from goat's milk has a sharper taste than that made from cow's milk.

The active cultures are sold with the bacteria still live in them, for the health benefits to our stomachs. The ones with dead cultures, though are course they are never labelled like that, are heat-treated to destroy the cultures on purpose, which extends the shelf-life of the product.

Sometimes, a tub of whole milk Yoghurt may have a thicker, creamier layer on top. To reduce the fat content of the Yoghurt, you can skim this off with a spoon -- and then eat it, as it is delicious.

Cooking Tips
The thing to remember about dairy is that the higher the fat content, the more heat you can subject it to. It's lower fat things -- like Yoghurt, which at the most will have 4% butterfat, and usually 3.5% -- that will curdle, as opposed to say, double-cream, which can have 50% butterfat. But I like the idea of cooking with Yoghurt, precisely because it is lower fat, and because of the zing it can add to a dish. Here are some tips:

• Bring Yoghurt to room temperature before using;
• Whenever possible, add Yoghurt at the end of cooking, such as when you are making a soup. But if it's a curry sauce you are doing, oftentimes the Yoghurt is best added the beginning so that all the flavours marry. In which case, stabilize the Yoghurt first with the flour method (below).
• Mix in a bit of flour. Any flour will do; in India, chickpea flour is used because it also adds flavour. The flour will keep the Yoghurt from curdling even if it should boil. Stir the flour into a bit of water first, then introduce into the Yoghurt;
• If you are substituting Yoghurt for a much thicker cream, or if your Yoghurt just seems too runny, and you want to make your Yoghurt thicker, stir a little powdered milk into it;
• When using Yoghurt instead of milk or cream in making pastry or cakes, for every cup of Yoghurt add a teaspoon of baking powder;
• In recipes that call for mayonnaise, try using half mayonnaise and half Yoghurt;
• If you are concerned about keeping the active bacteria alive during cooking, the temperature mustn't go above 45 Celsius. If it goes above that; well, just think of all the other health benefits you are still enjoying anyway.

When making your own Yoghurt, the shorter the setting time, the sweeter the Yoghurt will be: the longer it is, the tarter the Yoghurt will taste.

Substitutes
Sour cream; any form of fresh cream; crème fraîche; puréed cottage cheese; buttermilk

Nutrition
Yoghurt with active cultures can aid digestion, help restore healthy bacteria levels in the stomach (especially important after a period of being on antibiotics) and because the lactose in it has been converted, can usually be eaten by people who have trouble with milk (but don't count on this: depending on the brand, anywhere from 20% all the way up to 80% of the lactose can remain).

It is a good source of protein, calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus and vitamin B12

Beyond that, some of the heath benefits touted for Yoghurt are:

• Low in fat;
• Restores beneficial bacteria to the stomach (if active culture Yoghurt);
• More digestible than milk;
• Fights acne (when consumed, not applied);
• Cures bad breath (other sources believe Yoghurt causes it).

On some Yoghurt tubs, you may see the phrase "contains clockwise rotating lactic acid". One type of lactic acid rotates clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. The clockwise is more easily digested.

Equivalents
3/4 cup of Yoghurt = 6 ounces fluid /175 ml and by weight = 6 oz / 170g
1 cup of Yoghurt = 8 ounces fluid = 8 ounces weight / 225g
1 200g tub = 7 ounces weight
(note: Yoghurt tub weights given on the containers in oz are usually oz by weight, rather than liquid oz).

Storage
Keep Yoghurt refrigerated in a sealed plastic container (all things being equal, the tub it came in.)

You can freeze full-fat Yoghurts for use in cooking afterward, but freezing active Yoghurts will render your active bacteria quite inactive, as in morto. Defrost slowly, whisk before using as may separate a bit.

History
Originated in Asia, became popular in the Middle Eastern and Eastern European centuries ago. Became popular in North America and the UK in the 1970s. Yoghurt is only now (2004) slowly becoming popular in India.

Literature & Lore
"One of the important makers was the Dannon Company of Paris which, the year the war started, was turning out around 80,000 5 ½-ounce jars of yogurt a day, both fruited and plain. Daniel Carasso, son of the firm's founder, transferred the business here in 1942. Now the product so carefully made in a modern laboratory factory in Long Island City has created a Manhattan boom in the consumption of this tart milk custard. Possibly the internationalizing influence of the United Nations personnel has had something to do with the rush of business. When the Assembly was still in session the United Nations Cafeteria sold 300 jars of yogurt a day. United Nations or not, yogurt is selling in unheard-of volume in some 2,000 outlets in the metropolitan New York area with a special route coverage through New Jersey and Westchester. Now plain platinum-blonde yogurt will be seen everywhere with its sister, the daring strawberry blonde." -- Paddleford, Clementine (1898 - 1967). Food Flashes Column. Gourmet Magazine. July 1948.

Acknowlegements

Also called:

Other entries for:

Yoghurt
Balkan Style Yoghurt, Dhai, Doi, Greek Yoghurt

Other entries for:

Milk
Buttermilk, Clabbered Milk, Cream, Crème de Brebis, Evaporated Milk, Goat's Milk, Gold Top Milk, Kefir, Koumiss, Powdered Milk, Raw Milk, Whey

Other entries for:

Dairy
Butterfat, Butter, Cheese, Nondairy Topping

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