Yogurt

About

Yogurt is made by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria, which acidify and coagulate it; sourness is its defining trait, though its sharpness and texture, whether grainy, frothy, thick, thin, or creamy, vary considerably between products, and fat content does not always predict richness. While starter culture and production method both shape a yogurt's sensory qualities, the source milk has the strongest effect on flavor: cow milk yogurt has a clean taste with notes of green apple, lemon, fresh butter, and mild hazelnut; sheep milk yogurt is a blander, sharper version of cow; goat milk yogurt is more savory, carrying the distinctive animal notes of goat milk and cheese; and camel milk yogurt behaves differently still, tending to be thin unless thickened with gelatin, starch, or carrageenan. In the United States, unlike in Europe, "Greek yogurt" is not a protected term and is sometimes thickened with pectin rather than strained, giving it less of the reduced sugar and higher protein typical of genuinely strained yogurt.

Pairs well with yogurt

• SuEggThe Turkish dish çılbır tops room-temperature yogurt with a poached egg and a drizzle of red chili butter, with garlic typically stirred…
• SuGarlicYogurt's tang fades within minutes, while raw garlic lingers -- an uneven match that still works well in Turkish cooking, where sarimsakli…
• FrAppleYogurt naturally carries a faint green-apple note from the Lactobacillus bulgaricus culture used in fermentation, though a pronounced…
• BeMintYogurt and mint are commonly used to freshen up leftover vegetables, with additions like garlic, scallion, paprika, sumac or za'atar for…
• FfHoneyA classic pairing with a couple of pitfalls: yogurt can mute honey's flavor, and cold yogurt can make honey seize and turn chewy, so a…
• RoSesameYogurt mutes tahini's mushroom-like undertone, leaving behind a mildly nutty combined flavor, often paired further with garlic for a…
• WoCarrotCarrot and yogurt is a long-established pairing in India and Turkey; a winter variant of the Turkish yogurt dip cacik replaces the usual…
• BrMisoFermentation writer Sandor Katz notes that miso pairs well with fatty ingredients such as tahini, peanut butter or yogurt, which carry its…
• EaChickpeaChickpea flour and yogurt combine in several Indian dishes: khaman dhokla, a steamed savory sponge cake topped with a fried cumin-mustard…
• EaLentilYogurt's acidity suits lentils well, which is why it is stirred into masoor dal, and why dried yogurt is added to Turkish lentil soup for…
• GrChileYogurt's casein protein cools the burn of chile's capsaicin, which is why chili oil or butter pairs well with it.
• WoOatYogurt's apple, nut and buttery notes complement raw oats well, as in muesli or overnight oats.
• EaBarleyKishk, a dried fermented yogurt product found across the Middle East, has a barley-based Bedouin variant called Matrouh kishk, made from…
• EaEggplantEggplant pairs especially well with sheep's milk yogurt, whose fat content (up to about 7%) it readily absorbs.
• WoPistachioCommercial nut-flavored yogurts are uncommon, and not all "pistachio" products are actually flavored with pistachio, so a homemade…
• GrSorrelYogurt's tang masks sorrel's own sourness, letting its grassy flavor come through when the two are blended together with salt, producing…
• BeGooseberryThick Greek yogurt makes the best gooseberry fools, since its neutrality lets the fruit's flavor lead while its acidity complements the…