Kalamata · Peloponnese · Greece · No. 05 of 05 · 6 min read
Yogurt was Greek long before it was a marketing word
What is called yogurt in Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, and a dozen other traditions is the same basic thing: milk, heat, culture, time. What distinctively Greek yogurt is, is strained.
By Maria Stavros · Kalamata, Peloponnese, Greece · Issue 47, Feature 05
I. What actual strained yogurt is
Full-fat sheep's milk yogurt set with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, strained until thick enough to hold its shape. Sheep's milk gives a richer, slightly gamier flavour. After 4 hours of straining you have thick yogurt. After 8–12 hours, very thick. After 24 hours, labneh.
II. What the plastic container is not
«Greek style» yogurt with modified cornstarch in the ingredient list is not Greek yogurt. The texture was engineered. The flavour is milder than actual strained yogurt. Read the ingredient list. It should say: milk, live cultures. Nothing else.
III. The savoury application
Tzatziki — grated cucumber, strained yogurt, garlic, olive oil, salt. The yogurt must be thick enough that the finished sauce holds shape. Yogurt stirred into lentil soup. Yogurt under roasted vegetables. Yogurt in the morning with thyme honey and walnuts.
Recipe — Homemade Strained Yogurt
Maria Stavros · Kalamata · makes 1 litre · 8 h incubate · 12 h strain
- 1 L milk
- 82°C scald
- 43°C incubate
- 8 h set
Ingredients
- 1 L full-fat whole milk
- 2 tbsp plain full-fat yogurt with live cultures (starter)
- Cheesecloth or thin linen
The method
- Heat milk to 82°C (180°F).
- Cool to 43°C (110°F) — warm but not uncomfortable on your wrist.
- Whisk in starter yogurt. Pour into a clean container. Cover.
- Incubate at 43°C for 6–8 hours until set.
- Refrigerate until cold.
- To strain: line a colander with cheesecloth. Pour in set yogurt. Refrigerate 4–12 hours until desired thickness. Keeps 1–2 weeks. Serve with thyme honey and walnuts.
About the contributor
Maria Stavros
Maria Stavros writes about Greek yogurt and dairy traditions from Kalamata, Peloponnese, Greece. She eats it every morning with thyme honey from the beekeeper above the village.
Editor’s notes — the longer view
A note on the whey. Useful in bread, smoothies, cooking. Do not discard.
A note on the honey. Thymarísio méli — thyme honey — is the traditional pairing. Darker, slightly bitter, prevents the bowl from becoming cloying.
A note on sheep vs cow. Sheep's milk yogurt is genuinely different — gamier, richer. Try it once before assuming you prefer cow's.
A note on the texture. Real strained yogurt has a denser, slightly grainier quality on the tongue. The difference between handmade and gum-thickened ice cream.
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