Le Cordon Bleu

Yogurt

Appears in
Cuisine Foundations
Cuisine Foundations

By Le Cordon Bleu

Published 2010

  • About

Yogurt is milk that has been allowed to ferment until thick and slightly acidic in flavor. The word has Turkish origins and roughly translated means “thick” and would have originally been applied to goat’s milk. Today, yogurt is made by introducing live bacteria, lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These bacteria are most often used together to convert the natural sugars into lactic acid. The increased acid causes the milk to thicken and take on a tart flavor.

Consumed by different cultures for centuries, yogurt gained popularity in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. In the commercial production of yogurt, milk is first separated in order to achieve the desired milk fat content. Next, it is pasteurized at higher temperatures or for a long period of time in order to kill any pathogens and to encourage the coagulation of the whey proteins. Then it is homogenized and cooled before cultures are added. Finally, it is left to ferment for 4 to 6 hours at 43°C (109°F) before it is stirred and cooled to stop the fermentation process. At this point it is flavored and packaged. Most commercial yogurts in North America have gelatin or pectin added for thickness.