What Are The Benefits of Yogurt?

For breakfast or as a snack, many enjoy a creamy yoghurt with fresh fruit or as a ready-made product. Find out how the popular dairy product is made and what’s in it.

Worth knowing about yoghurt

Yoghurt is made from milk to which lactic acid bacteria are added. During fermentation, the microorganisms convert the lactose into lactic acid, giving the yoghurt its typically sour taste. In this form, the milk has a longer shelf life, which is why the sour milk product has been part of the human diet for centuries. Today it is available in different fat levels, as drinkable or set yoghurt as well as natural yoghurt or a product with added sugar and flavourings. The most popular type of fruit yoghurt is strawberry, but there are also exotic flavors such as peach-passion fruit or mango.

Purchasing and storage

Yoghurts with different cultures are offered. According to the Milk Products Ordinance, yoghurt is called “mild yoghurt” or “yoghurt”, the two products differ in the cultures used. Low-fat yoghurt contains 1.5 to 1.8 percent fat, whole milk yoghurt at least 3.5 percent fat and skimmed milk yoghurt at most 0.5 percent fat. If you like it particularly creamy, you can use cream yoghurt with a fat content of at least 10 percent. Fresh yoghurt should always be kept in the fridge. If you have bought too much of the dairy product, you can also freeze it and enjoy it as a delicious frozen yoghurt.

Cooking tips for yoghurt

If you want to avoid additives, you can make your own yoghurt or transform a store-bought natural yoghurt with fresh fruit into a fruit yoghurt. Products made from goat’s or sheep’s milk bring variety to the menu – they are often found in delicious recipes from oriental cuisine, for example for bulgur with sheep’s yoghurt dip. For breakfast, simply add yoghurt to your muesli instead of milk or prepare a filling yoghurt with blueberries with nuts, wholemeal oat flakes and honey. The milk product can also be used in the kitchen as a basis for salad dressings, as an ingredient in sauces or for baked goods.