Healthy yogurt endures to become mainstream star
Remember the commercial in the 1970s about the man living to 100-plus years old because he ate yogurt? Remember when yogurt came in a handful of flavors and took up a tiny portion of the dairy case?
Today, yogurt commercials feature young kids rather than old men, and yogurt has taken over the dairy case with flavors like apricot mango and pomegranate blueberry and varieties ranging from no-fat and full fat to those enhanced with fiber and brain-building vitamins.
Yogurt is "the food of the day" says Harry Balzer, vice president of NPD Group in Rosemont and author of "Eating Patterns in America."
And alongside the big brands like Yoplait and Dannon, you'll find organic and artisan manufacturers, as well as those imported from Greece and the Middle East. According to industry analysts, Greek-style yogurt with its thicker, richer consistency is the fastest-growing item in the supermarket dairy case.
Yogurt makers who focused on kids' snacks for years, dreaming up swirly concoctions and portable packs in flavors like bubble gum and cotton candy, also are getting back to promoting yogurt as a health food, a move that also is driving its popularity.
The live bacterial cultures, or probiotics, that give yogurt its signature tang also have health benefits ranging from settling an upset stomach and balancing intestinal flora to promoting fresh breath. That live bacteria changes the lactose in milk into lactic acid, allowing lactose intolerant people to comfortably eat yogurt. Keep in mind, however, that not all yogurt contains live cultures, so read the label.
While we typically think of yogurt for breakfast and snacks (yogurt and fruit parfaits are popping up on menus everywhere), this dairy delight can be used all over the menu, from appetizers to desserts.
In Thailand, India and other countries where fiery chilies appear on the menu, yogurt often accompanies the meal, its casein cooling the hot capsaicin. In Mediterranean countries, it's blended with herbs and vegetables to create piquant sauces like tzatziki, the cucumber sauce so many of us enjoy on Greek gyros.
Yogurt can be substituted for sour cream in recipes; use it to garnish soups or as a base for homemade dips. When cooking, don't substitute it for cream, advises Nancy Harmon Jenkins in "The New Mediterranean Diet" (2009 Bantam, $35). Yogurt breaks down when it reaches the boiling point, she says.
Left to drain for 12 to 24 hours (covered and refrigerated), the yogurt loses much of its whey and turns into yogurt cheese, called labneh in Lebanon. While it's not really cheese at all, this spread can be used like cream cheese, though it's not quite that thick. I mixed up a wonderful cracker spread using 1 cup of yogurt cheese and about 2 tablespoons of Tastefully Simple's Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Mix.
In Lebanon, they spread the labneh on pita, or whip it with sugar or honey and vanilla and spoon it over fresh fruit or cake.
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