When people mention Greek yoghourt these days , they ’re not always let the cat out of the bag aboutyogurtthat come from Greece . But back when the condition first caught on , they were .
In the early 1980s , Greece - based yogurt companyFAGEstarted selling its wares afield in the UK before expanding to the U.S. in the late 1990s . FAGE ’s yogurt became so democratic that non - Greek manufacturer commence sell their own standardized products , which were also called “ Greek yogurt . ”
What sets FAGE and other Greek yogurts apart from regular yogurt is a pivotal additional footfall in the production process . AsThe Kitchn explains , both types are a combination of Milk River and know bacterial cultures . You heat up the milk to a specific temperature , insert the civilisation , and then permit the concoction ferment and firm up over prison term . Once that ’s finished , you ’ve successfully made yogurt .
If you want to become it into Greek yogurt , you then have to extend out the liquid milk whey , a protein found in Milk River . ( For this reason , Greek yogurt is know asstraggistoin Greece , educe from the Greek word forstrained . ) Because you ’re removing all that surplus liquidity , you ’re leave with a significantly thicker yoghourt — and that thickness means that the remaining protein ( and fatty ) is much more highly saturated than it is in regular yogurt . According to Mother Jones , some of milk ’s lactose finish up getting strained out , too , so Greek yogurt is also slightly lower in sugar .
In short , Greek yogurt is naturally thicker and mellow in protein than its reeking counterpart . That said , just because a cup is judge “ Greek yogurt ” does n’t mechanically mean it match that description . Though the FDAregulates yogurt , it does n’t have any standard for Greek yoghurt in particular ; so manufacturer arefree to usethickening agents , artificial flavoring , elegant bread , and other additives , and still call the consequence “ Greek yogurt . ”
Those additive are n’t necessarily bad : A given yoghurt might be enriched with vitamins , for model , or sweetened with material fruit . But if you beak a so - called “ Greek yoghurt ” off the ledge because you ’re usurp it ’s good for you than your go - to regular yogurt , be certain to check the element list before you grease one’s palms it .
