What is Bulgarian Yoghurt and How To Make It At Home
Bulgarian Yogurt is a dairy food that is made by the fermentation of dairy milk which is triggered by two bacterial strains only – Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
There are different yoghurt-like foods made by different bacterial strains as most frequently Acidophilus and Bifidus species are used in a combination. When they are added, sometimes people call this product "Probiotic Yogurt."
The dairy fermented foods have been consumed for millennials as a traditional food in Eastern Europe, The Mediterranean, and Asia.
However, the Bulgarian Yoghurt gained its attention when a Bulgarian student, Stamen Grigorov, researched the bacterial structure of the Bulgarian Yogurt and discovered Lactobacilus Bulgaricus. Then he managed to bring the attention of one of the greatest scientists in that time, Prof. Ilja Mechnikov. By 1908, the results of the research were confirmed, independently, in Pasteur Institute, Paris, and the bacterium was named Bacillus bulgaricus, "Bulgarian milk bacterium.''
The Bulgarian Yoghurt is one of the best-researched dairy foods and it has been linked to many health benefits. Due to the over a century research, it sets the standard for such a food and defined the future regulations, which made the Bulgarian Yoghurt very suitable for an international distribution.
People are frequently asking questions about the Greek Style Yogurt and its relation to the Bulgarian Yogurt. Explained simply, the Greek Style Yogurt is a strained Yogurt with no defined bacterial combination. It can be made as a probiotic yogurt and as a main rule, it is to always be strained afterward. The Bulgarian Yoghurt, on the other hand, having a Bacterial defined combination - precisely the only two bacterial strains and in most cases is consumed with no straining.
Traditionally the most common milk used for making Bulgarian Yoghurt was Sheep, Buffalo, and Goats milk which delivers a different level of thickness. Today, most commercial manufacturers use cow’s milk:
So, how to make Bulgarian Yoghurt at home? Well, there is only one way:
Get the bacterial blend consisting of Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus.
Add the bacterial blend to sheep, buffalo, goats, or cow’s milk.
Incubate, refrigerate and enjoy.
For the specific instructions and Step by step tutorials, please refer to our website, blog, forum, watch the other YouTube videos, or download the Yogurt App.
