You probably dont give much thought to buying yogurt in the store. You have your favorite brand, or maybe you like trying new varieties each week; either way, you just grab it and go.
It is easy to take yogurt for granted, but this delicious dairy product has a long and storied history that started way before the convenience of commercialized yogurt. Read on to discover its surprising origins in ancient civilizations and how it started being mass-produced.
Its first known appearance was during the Neolithic period (around 5,000 BC) in Mesopotamia. That makes yogurt well over 7,000 years old! It’s believed that, like butter, yogurt was created by accident when milk was exposed to bacteria or soured in warm temperatures.
You Can Enjoy Savory Yogurt, Too
Most Americans have only eaten yogurt thats been sweetened or has fruit at the bottom. But the tart, creamy taste of yogurt actually works well in savory preparations as well.
There are many foods around the world that embrace unsweetened yogurt in their recipes, including chicken korma, a delicious Indian dish. If you want to prepare something a little less ambitious, try Greek tzatziki (a delicious sauce), refreshing Turkish ayran (a yogurt drink), or Lebanese labneh (a thick cheese-like yogurt).
A Brief History of Yogurt
The word yogurt is Turkish in origin, and comes from the verb “yogurmak” (to thicken). In fact, it is believed that yogurt was being made in Turkey as far back as the 6th century BCE.
The first use of yogurt was believed to be by Central Asian herdsmen, who stored their extra goats milk in containers made out of animal stomachs to preserve it while on the go. Some of the milk stored in these skins, to their surprise, became thick and tart. More importantly, it was still edible — even after a surprisingly long period of time in the hot sun.
The reason was that yogurt has good bacteria that bloomed when the milk interacted with the animal stomach bags. This made the curdled liquid a hostile environment for bad bacteria — not to mention a hardier and more substantial foodstuff.
There is proof that in many ancient Asian civilizations, yogurt was a part of their diet. Fans included Genghis Khan and his Mongol army, who frequently enjoyed the creamy treat that was said to give them strength and stamina in battle. It is even rumored that the Indian emperor Akbar liked to spice up his yogurt with cinnamon and mustard seeds. (I cant imagine that flavor getting a lot of supermarket sales.)
It is also notable that ancient Greeks consumed oxygala, a distant ancestor of yogurt that was made out of sour milk and sweetened with honey. That sounds a bit more appealing, doesnt it?
For centuries, yogurt was made only within the home and not for mass production. That all changed when in 1905 Bulgarian microbiologist Stamen Grigorov discovered Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria strain that ferments milk into yogurt. Soon after Grigorovs breakthrough discovery, Danone, (or as we know it in the US, Dannon), began to produce commercialized yogurt in 1919 in Barcelona, Spain.
Fermented Science | History of Yogurt | Season 3 Episode 2
FAQ
Who made the first yogurt?
When did Americans start eating yogurt?
How long have humans been using yogurt?
When was yogurt first sold in the UK?
Who invented yoghurt?
Wherever it was discovered, what we do know is that Bulgaria played a vital role in introducing yoghurt to the West and turning it into the popular, commercial product we know today. It was a Bulgarian scientist who first broke down the composition of yoghurt.
Can people over 50 years old digest yogurt?
Yogurt is a dairy product, a source of protein and calcium. It also contains probiotics that could favor the development of a beneficial microbiota. People over 50 years old can consume it. For those who do not consume it regularly, it is advisable to incorporate it gradually and evaluate their tolerance.
When did yogurt first come out?
Historians believe that yogurt first originated during the Neolithic Period, anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. Neolithic people had already figured out how to make bread and beer through accidental fermentation, and they likely similarly discovered yogurt.
Where did yogurt come from?
The origins of yogurt are unknown but it was probably discovered first by Neolithic people in Central Asia and Mesopotamia around 5000 BC, when the first milk-producing animals were domesticated.