Greek Yogurt

An explosion of Greek yogurt has occurred. Upon hearing of it a few years ago I didn't think much about trying it. But when reports started to come in of it's wonderful goodie-ness from many unexpected sources I resolved to give it a try... next time I had the chance.

At first I was overwhelmed by there sheer amount of choices there are for Greek Yogurt... not sure which to pick I wavered on the fence - finding excuses to postpone buying any.

After some continued polls, I did find the preferred brand but also found it much too expensive for the meager amount of green paper bills in my pocket. Especially since I would be spending it on something I might like.

Finally, I found Greek Yogurt at Aldi's for a wonderfully low price! Upon trying it I found the thick tartness to be quite wonderful and have been buying it every week.

This brought me to wondering what in the world Greek yogurt actually was made of. Enter Wikipedia:

"Strained yogurt, yogurt cheese, labneh, or Greek yogurt is yogurt which has been strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yogurt and cheese, while preserving yogurt's distinctive sour taste. Like many yogurts, strained yogurt is often made from milk which has been enriched by boiling off some of the water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. . . .

In Western Europe and the U.S., strained yogurt has become increasingly popular because it is richer in texture than unstrained yogurt, but low in fat. Since straining removes whey, strained yogurt is higher in protein and lower in sugar and carbohydrates than unstrained yogurt.


In fact, most of the recent growth in the $4.1 billion yogurt industry has come from the strained yogurt segment. In the West, the term "Greek yogurt" has become synonymous with strained yogurt due to successful marketing by the Greek Fage brand, though strained yogurt is a staple in many countries besides Greece, and most yogurt in Greece is not strained. "Greek-style" yogurts are similar to Greek strained yogurt, but may be thickened with thickening agents, or if made the traditional way, are based on domestic (rather than Greek) milk."*


So yay for the health benefits of Greek yogurt! And beware the "Greek-style" yogurt that will give you pimples. . . Just kidding!

*Reference:

Strained yoghurt. (2012, February 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:07, February 16, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strained_yoghurt&oldid=476834774