Greek Yogurt
added 12/22/09
by Rosemary Fifield
Yogurt is not a food that I grew up with in the 1950s and ‘60s. Although it was commercially introduced into the United States in 1929 by Armenian immigrants Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, it was popular primarily with those for whom it was a staple of their ethnic diets, which did not include either my Sicilian nor my Polish ancestors.
By the 1960s, yogurt began gaining popularity with the general public as a health food. The live microbes in fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut had long been reputed to contribute toward the longevity of certain ethnic peoples, and now researchers had confirmed that Lactobacillus—one of the two types of bacteria responsible for the conversion of milk into yogurt—was an important probiotic capable of restoring beneficial intestinal bacteria destroyed by the use of antibiotics. Lactobacilli also actively convert lactose into lactic acid, allowing lactose-intolerant individuals to consume yogurt with less or no discomfort.
By the 1970s, yogurt had become a popular food for women and toddlers. Yogurt is naturally high in calcium and protein—being a concentrated form of milk— and when yogurt manufacturers began adding fruit and sweeteners to counteract the tartness, yogurt’s popularity exploded. Lowfat and no-fat yogurts became a mainstay for many dieters, in spite of the added carbohydrates and artificial thickeners.
Personally, I had a hard time adding yogurt to my diet. I found plain yogurt too tart and the sweetened yogurts too sweet and high in empty calories. Mixing plain yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit was a good compromise, but to me, non-fat yogurt was painfully thin and boring and full-fat yogurt was out of the question. I avoided whole milk—I was even putting skim milk in my coffee (yuck!)—so how could I justify that full-fat Brown Cow yogurt with the Cream Top, the only one I truly enjoyed? And then the Co-op began carrying Greek yogurt.
The first brand I tried was Fage (pronounced Fa-yeh) Total, which at that time was imported from Greece. (The company has since built a new plant in Johnstown, New York, in order to meet U.S. demand.) Even the no-fat version was wonderfully thick, rich, and creamy—all without the addition of anything artificial. I had gone to yogurt heaven.
I learned that Greek yogurt has been strained, while warm, to remove excess whey—the off-white watery liquid that seeps out and collects in the depressions in regular yogurt made without artificial thickeners. The resulting product has roughly twice the protein of regular yogurt and more body than sour cream. It also contains more calcium, less lactose, and fewer carbohydrates.
Then I found the little (5.3 oz.) containers of Fage Total with the sidecars containing honey or fruit. Unfortunately, they were 2%, not fat-free, but it can be hard to pass up flipping over that cute little container to spill flavorful Greek honey onto rich, thick yogurt. They became my special treat when I was in too much of a hurry to eat breakfast at home.
The ultimate breakthrough for me occurred, however, when I discovered Oikos, the Greek yogurt made by New Hampshire’s own Stonyfield Farm. Oikos is organic and only comes as a non-fat product. The milk is sourced from family farms in the Northeast, although, admittedly, there is currently some controversy about how well Stonyfield is payingthose organic farmers. The flavor and consistency, as well as its local, organic origins, has made Oikos my current non-fat favorite.
During peach season, I mixed it with a fresh Pennsylvania or New Hampshire peach and topped it off with a couple tablespoons of Nutty Steph’s Vermont Granola—pure ambrosia for breakfast. My winter variant is Oikos mixed with frozen Maine blueberries (the tiny, intensely flavorful ones) or an Equal Exchange Fair Trade banana and topped with Nutty Steph’s.
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