Discovering yogurt the way it used to be

Newsday ^ | 8/7/2002 | Erica Marcus

[a_Turk]

Cheap and versatile, widely acclaimed for its nutritional benefits and a central component of some of the world's great cuisines, plain yogurt has nevertheless failed to win many converts in America. It's watery, detractors complain, and too sharp.

So we package it with fruit and flavorings in an effort to make it more like pudding, or sweeten it and freeze it in an attempt to ape ice cream.

But more and more people are starting to enjoy yogurt the way it is eaten in "the old country" - thick enough to hold its shape and unashamed of its pronounced tang.

[Fiddlstix]

Thanks for the Ping
Bump

[Mortimer Snavely]

Used to buy yogurt by the gallon, it seemed, while I was there. Ate it with bread, rice, potatoes, noodles, meat, vegetables, I can't think of anything that couldn't use plain non-flavored yogurt to boost the meal. One of the best lunches possible is just a big glass of ayran and a few lahmucun. Great stuff.

Could you run your cacik recipe again, BTW?

[GiovannaNicoletta]

I have always wanted to try real Middle Eastern yogurt- ever since a few years ago when I saw a report about the man (from Syria, I think) who had his (I think) 103rd birthday and attributed his longevity partly to a daily generous consumption of yogurt.

I guess I'll have to be happy with my strawberry yogurt drink I bought at the supermarket yesterday. Oh well, maybe someday I'll get the REAL thing... :)

[a_Turk]

Could you run your cacik recipe again

Well, sadly I can't get anything other than the Dannon plain, so I take a tub of that, shred a peeled cucumber, mix it in, add salt to taste, put a few sprinkles of parsley on in with a little bit of of olive oil, and it's almost like old times..

[a_Turk]

Best part of the real stuff is the creamy crust.. I remember plagueing the yoghurt man, similar to the ice cream man in the US, for the stuff, which most refined Turks didn't care for :^ |

Those were the days.. sniff..

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Well, now that I think about it, I did get a Mediterranian (sp?) cookbook- a genuine Mediterranian cookbook a few months ago- and I just wonder if there is a yogurt recipe in there.

I'll go drag it out and take a look. I'll have to let you know if I made it and if I survive my concoction!

[valkyrieanne]

Some organic food stores sell whole-milk yogurt that has "yogurt cream" on the top. If it's the real thing (i.e. made with whole milk or even with some cream added), you don't need to add sugar, because the butterfat cuts the sharpness of the yogurt. You can eat it right out of the container & it's delicious.

[valkyrieanne]

What else is really good: a mango lhassi. Take (real) yogurt, some mango puree (or mashed mangoes), a handful of ice cubes, and whirr it all in the blender. Ummm, umm good.

[sistergoldenhair]

so I take a tub of that, shred a peeled cucumber, mix it in, add salt to taste, put a few sprinkles of parsley on in with a little bit of of olive oil

I've never been a fan of yogurt, but this sounds like something to try.

[a_Turk]

Plain yoghurt with mashed garlic works great too, especially with those filled noodles.

[sistergoldenhair]

One step at a time.
I can justify trying the cacik; the cucumbers are taking over the yard.