Where does yogurt come from?

Here's a little article I wrote for children about yogurt. Pass it along to your young one.

Where Does Yogurt Come From? By Debra L. Karplus, MS, OTR/L

Yogurt is yummy to eat for dessert or as a snack. Though yogurt was first eaten in Turkey, a country on the other side of the world in Asia, today it is enjoyed nearly everywhere. People in India sometimes use it as a sauce on meals spiced with curry. What is your favorite way to eat yogurt?

Yogurt is good for you, too. It helps you have strong bones. The yogurt you get from the supermarket has many ingredients, including some which make the yogurt last longer, called preservatives. But really, yogurt only needs one ingredient, and that is milk from a cow or goat. The milk is heated so that it ferments, giving yogurt its tangy flavor.

Yogurt is surprisingly easy to make.

Milk magically turns into yogurt in only a few hours. First, it is heated to approximately 200 degrees, not quite boiling or bubbly, and then it is kept at that temperature for about ten minutes. This heat helps it become thick and it also kills unwanted bacteria. Then, the thickened milk is cooled to 120 degrees.

Already-made yogurt, referred to as yogurt starter, is added to the heated milk. For about four hours, the yogurt is kept at 100 – 130 degrees; 115 degrees works best. Finally, the yogurt is cooled and refrigerated in small containers.

Making yogurt at home is a fun family activity.

Get the family together in the kitchen and make your own yogurt. It is easy, doesn’t cost much money, and a good way to “go green” because you don’t need to use wasteful, throw-away containers. A yogurt making machine can be purchased at the store, but you can make delicious yogurt without that, using things that you probably already have in your own kitchen.

All you need is milk, a special food thermometer, sometimes called a candy thermometer. This costs about ten dollars at most groceries or superstores. You will also need a large pot such as one used for making soup. And you need a place to keep the yogurt warm for four hours such as a food drying machine or your regular kitchen over set on “warm”. You will also need some small containers for the finished ready-to-eat yogurt.

You can make your homemade yogurt fancy with fruit, nuts, granola, or spices such as cinnamon or vanilla. Serve it to your guests. They will feel like they are restaurant.