Yogurt history
The fermenting process used in yogurt was used as long ago as 2000 BC by Middle Eastern civilizations to preserve milk. Yogurt itself is thought to have originated among the nomadic tribes of Eastern Europe and Western Asia and it has been a staple in the diet of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diets for centuries.The word ‘yogurt’ is Turkish in origin, while the ancient Assyrian word for yogurt, lebeny, meant ‘life’.
Eat yogurt, live longer!
Modern interest in yogurt began in 1910, when Russian researcher Ilya Metchnikoff reported that Bulgarian peasants, whose diets included a great deal of yogurt, lived to extraordinary ages.
Desert Yogurt
One of the oldest stories associated with yogurt suggests that a messenger to 12th century Mongol leader Genghis Khan was journeying across the desert when he stopped in a newly conquered village. The villagers filled his gourd with milk, sure it would spoil under the heat of the sun, leaving the horseman to die in the desert. Instead, the constant agitation of the ride and the warm temperature resulted in a delicious white, custardy substance which the soldier drank and enjoyed. Much fortified he continued his arduous journey!
Let them eat yogurt!
A later story from the 16th century sees yogurt appearing at the court of French Renaissance King Francois I who suffered badly from stomach troubles. Calling upon his old friend the Ottoman Turk for help the sultan dispatched his own doctor who promptly cured Francois with yogurt thus immortalising yogurt at court!
Information taken from www.rachelsorganic.co.uk
