Yogurt is basically fermented milk. Fermentative bacterias change the structure of milk, make it thick and sourish. If you want to make yogurt at home, you need a starter to ferment the milk. A starter can be a little yogurt or starter culture. How was the first yogurt made without any starters? We’re going to talk about the history of yogurt.

How was the first yogurt ever made?

Yogurt is an ancient food. First traces of yogurt were found in Mesopotamia more than 7000 years ago. It is found by accident. What I mean ‘by accident’? In those times people used to store their liquid stuff with bags which are made of the animal stomach. By coincidence, warmth and other conditions were perfect for yogurt making. Consequently, they observed that milk was turned into yogurt after a while. How is this even possible? Wild enzymes in the stomach ferment the sugar lactose to lactic acid. Lactic acid makes milk more acidic and it causes coagulation. Coagulated proteins thicken the milk and give a creamy texture. The tangy and sourish flavor of yogurt comes from lactic acid. This is the interesting story of yogurt that has been in our life for a long time.

How yogurt became that popular?

According to ancient Indian resources, the mixture of yogurt and honey is called ‘The Food of Gods’. Persian traditions hold that “Abraham owed his fecundity and longevity to the regular digestion of yogurt.” Those instances prove that yogurt has been popular for a long time. Yogurt’s benefits to your body cannot be underestimated. The first time that Europeans met with yogurt occurs in French clinical history. Francis I suffered from  diarrhea which no doctor found a cure. His ally Suleiman the Magnificent send a group of doctors and they healed him with yogurt. Being grateful,Francis I spread the yogurt to Europe. On this clinical occasion, Europeans met with yogurt. Etymologically, the word is derived from Turkish; yoğurt.  The sound of ğ was traditionally rendered as “gh”. The word is from Nomadic Turks. In “Divan-ı Lügati’t Türk” which is a Turkish dictionary written by Mahmud Kashgari in the 11th century includes the explanation and usage of yogurt. However, it doesn’t mean that Europeans hadn’t met with a thick form of milk. Ancient Greek cuisine included a type of fermented milk named oxygala (οξύγαλα) which is similar to yogurt. Oxygala was consumed with honey, similar to Greek yogurt that is eaten today. Discussions are still going on about who found the yogurt between Turks and Greeks. Yogurt; as a culture;  has spread over a wide area. It is hard to understand who found yogurt but it is obvious that yogurt is a Turkish word.

Eat yogurt, stay healthy!

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt
• https://www.thoughtco.com