From Fountain of Youth to Fruit on the Bottom: How Yoghurt Finally Made it Big in America
11/18/202551 min
Yoghurt is the most diverse section of the dairy case: from Icelandic skyr to creamy Australian, and fruity French Yoplait to full-fat Greek. With something to suit every palate, plus a dose of microbes to support healthy digestion, yoghurt is a staple food in the US, hero of a million smoothies, berry bowls, and snack breaks every day. Which is why it's pretty weird that, until about 50 years ago, most Americans had no idea what it was. This episode, we've got the story of the microbial miracle (and ants?) that gave us yoghurt, as well as the secret connection...
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First 90 secondsPriya Krishna· Guest0:03
Yogurt is a, is a miracle. It's the creamy result of when you leave milk out for too long and zhuzh it up a little bit. I think yogurt is, like, one of the, the dreamiest substances that we have to eat in existence.
Nicola Twilley· Host0:19
I mean, I like yogurt fine, but we live in a world with chocolate. Still, I'm definitely not here to diss it. Yogurt is an extremely popular substance, and rightly so.
Cynthia Graber· Host0:30
There's fruity yogurt, plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, drinkable yogurt, Icelandic yogurt, frozen yogurt, the list goes on and on. So who invented this dreamy, infinitely versatile food? Where did it come from?
Nicola Twilley· Host0:41
Fortunately, Cynthia, you are in an episode of Gastropod, the podcast that loves to get to the bottom of exactly these kinds of questions. So let's have a look at yogurt through the lens of science and history. I am, of course, Nicola Twilley.
Cynthia Graber· Host0:56
And I'm Cynthia Graber, and if you happen to catch any ads for yogurt, it seems like it'll solve all of your health woes. Where did that come from? How did this idea start, that it's like this elixir that will bestow immortality?
Nicola Twilley· Host1:06
The other thing is, like you said, there's a million different kinds. The yogurt aisle stretches half the length of the store. But what's the difference between all the different yogurts, like Greek or Australian or Icelandic or even your basic Dannon or Yoplait?
Cynthia Graber· Host1:22
All this plus yogurt made with the help of some friendly ants. Yes, ants, the insect kind. This episode was supported in part by the Alfred