NPSelection
Feb 2, 20202 min
Updated: May 23, 2021
The so-called ‘’Greek yogurt’’ is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than unstrained yogurt, while preserving yogurt's distinctive sour taste.
Strained yogurt is generally marketed in North America as "Greek yogurt" and in Britain as "Greek-style yoghurt" after the UK court ruled that yogurt manufacturers cannot label their products like “Greek Yogurt” if they are not made in Greece, though strained yogurt is also eaten around the world and part of traditional Eastern European and Asian cuisines.
Due to the straining process and removal of the excess whey, even non-fat varieties of strained yogurt are much thicker, richer, and creamier than yogurt that has not been strained. Since the straining process removes the whey, or fluid, from the milk, it requires larger amount of plain yogurt to produce a cup of strained yogurt. During the straining process some of the lactose is removed thus, strained yogurt is lower in sugar ang high in fats and protein.
Some commercial manufacturers use thickeners, such as pectin, locust bean gum, starches or guar gum or others, which indicate that straining was not the method used to consolidate the milk solids.
In Nord America there is no legal definition for Greek yogurt or Greek style yogurt, and yogurt thickened with thickening agents may also be sold as "Greek yogurt" even though it is not necessarily strained yogurt.
So how to make a Greek-style yogurt at home? Well, there are three authentic methods.
You can make your yogurt as you boil the milk in advance - this will evaporate the water in the milk, break down some enzymes, and sanitize the milk. After the fermentation, you will have less whey compared to yogurt made with not boiled milk.
You can simply make yogurt without boiling the milk and then use cheesecloth or fine mesh to strain the ready yogurt in just a few hours.
Or you can combine both methods for better sanitation of the milk and even thicker texture. You can boil the milk in advance, make the yogurt and strain it with a cheese cloth for a few hours after the fermentation is completed.
As you can see, it is very easy to make this at home.
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