Monday, September 28, 2009

Short History of Yoghurt

Short History of Yoghurt
It is believed that the ancient Turkish people in Asia, where they loved as nomads, first made yoghurt.

The first Turkish name for this product appeared in the eighth century as “yoghurut,” and the name was subsequently changed in the eleventh century to its present spelling.

One legend tells that an angle brought down a pot that contained the first yoghurt, while another source claims that the ancient Turks who were Buddhists, used to offer yoghurt to the angles and stars who protected them.

According to historian, yoghurt originates from Balkans. The inhabitants of Thrace used to make soured milks called “prokish” from sheep’s milk, which later became yoghurt.

In Bibles, it is recorded that when the patriarch Abraham entertained three angels, he put before them soured and sweet milk.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were also acquainted with preparations of soured milk.

The biography of Roman Emperor Elagabalus (204-222 A.D) mentions two recipes for soured milk.

Ancient physicians of the Near an Middle East prescribed yoghurt or related soured milks for curing disorders of the appetite.

Records also exist o the use of soured milks particularly yoghurt for preservation of meat spoilage during the summer.

Earlier writers of the Middle East mentioned the use of soured milks as cosmetics for Persian women.

One of the first industrial productions of yoghurt in Europe was undertaken by Danone in 1922 at Madrid, Spain. After World War II and particularly since 1950, the technology of yoghurt and understanding of its proteins have already advanced rapidly.
Short History of Yoghurt