Strained yogurt facts for kids
Strained yogurt with olive oil
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| Alternative names | Greek yogurt, chak(k)a, labneh, suzma, yogurt cheese |
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| Type | Yogurt |
| Region or state | West, South, and Central Asia; Middle East, Southeastern Europe |
| Main ingredients | Yogurt |
| 557 kJ (133 kcal) per 100 g kcal | |
Strained yogurt is a special type of yogurt. It is also known as Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, or sack yogurt. It's made by removing most of the liquid part called whey from regular yogurt. This makes it much thicker and creamier than normal yogurt. It still has the same yummy, slightly sour taste.
Strained yogurt is often made from milk that has been made thicker. Sometimes, extra milk solids or cream are added. In Europe and North America, it's often made from low-fat or fat-free cow's milk. A similar product called skyr is made in Iceland.
This type of yogurt is very popular in many parts of the world. These include the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. It's great for cooking because it doesn't separate easily when heated. Straining makes even nonfat yogurt feel rich and creamy. Because more milk is needed to make it, strained yogurt can cost a bit more. Sometimes, natural thickeners like pectin are added to yogurts. Strained yogurt has less sugar than regular yogurt. This is because some of the natural sugar (lactose) is removed with the whey.
In the United States, most of the growth in the yogurt industry has come from strained yogurt. It's usually sold as "Greek yogurt." However, in the US, there isn't a strict rule for what "Greek yogurt" means. So, some yogurts thickened with other ingredients might also be called "Greek yogurt."
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What is Strained Yogurt Called?
In the places where strained yogurt first came from, it has different names. Some names describe how it's made. For example, they might mean "strained" or "hung" yogurt. Other names are special words for this type of yogurt.
In English, people started knowing about strained yogurt in the 1980s. This was when a Greek company called Fage began selling it in the United Kingdom. They called their brand "Total." Since then, "Greek yogurt" has become the common name for strained yogurt in English-speaking countries.
Where is Strained Yogurt Eaten?
Central Asia
In many countries in Central Asia, like Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, a type of strained yogurt is eaten. It's called chak(k)a or suzma. It's made by draining a local yogurt called qatiq. If it's dried even more, it becomes a hard cheese called qurut. In Balochistan, it's called sheelanch. It's used to make dips or served as a side dish.
West Asia and East Mediterranean
Strained yogurt is known as labneh in the Levant (like Lebanon and Syria), Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula. People eat labneh fresh, or they dry it into balls. These balls are sometimes covered with herbs and stored in olive oil. Labneh is a popular mezze (small dish) and a common sandwich filling. A simple Middle Eastern sandwich might have labneh, mint, thyme, and olive on pita bread.
Labneh is made by draining liquid from yogurt until it becomes thick like a soft cheese. It tastes a bit like sour cream. It's often spread on a plate and drizzled with olive oil and dried mint. It also goes well with a mixed herb blend called za'atar.
Bedouin people also make a very dry, hard labneh. This can be stored for a long time. It's often eaten with khubz (Arabic bread).
Labneh is a main ingredient in jameed. This is used in mansaf, which is the national dish of Jordan.
In Egypt, strained yogurt is eaten with savory foods like olives and oil. It can also be eaten with sweet things like honey for breakfast or a snack. Areesh cheese is an Egyptian cheese similar to ricotta. It's made from yogurt that is heated and then drained.
In Cypriot cuisine, strained yogurt is used in many recipes. It's also eaten on its own or as a side dish. In Cyprus, it's usually made from sheep's milk.
In Iran, strained yogurt is called mâst chekide. It's often used for dips or as a side dish. In Northern Iran, it can be a type of kefir with a sour taste. It's often mixed with fresh herbs to make a sauce called delal.
In Turkey, strained yogurt is called süzme yoğurt ("strained yogurt") or kese yoğurdu ("bag yogurt"). Water is sometimes added to it to make cacık, which can be a drink. Strained yogurt is used in Turkish mezzes (small dishes) and dips like haydari.
In Armenia, strained yogurt is called kamats matzoon. It was traditionally made by draining matzoon in cloth bags to keep it fresh longer.
Indian Subcontinent
In the Indian subcontinent, regular unstrained yogurt (called curd or dahi) is often sold in clay bowls. If left in the clay pot, some water evaporates, making it cooler and slightly thicker.
True strained yogurt, called chakka, is made by draining the yogurt in a cloth, usually muslin. Shrikhand is a sweet dish made with chakka. It has sugar, saffron, cardamom, fruit, and nuts mixed in. It's often eaten with poori. It's very popular in the Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Chakka is also eaten in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's served with rice and meat dishes.
South-Eastern Europe
Strained yogurt is very common in Greek cuisine. It's mainly used as the base for tzatziki dip. It's also a popular dessert. People often top it with honey, sour cherry syrup, or spoon sweets. In Greece, strained yogurt is traditionally made from sheep's milk.
In Albania, strained yogurt is called "salcë kosi" (yogurt sauce). Yogurt is drained in a cloth bag for several hours or overnight. The liquid that comes out is called "hirrë." It can be used to preserve cheese or as a drink. The strained yogurt itself is used in Albanian dishes. It can be eaten plain or with things like dill, garlic, cucumber, nuts, or olive oil.
In Bulgaria, yogurt is a very important part of the national food. Strained yogurt is called "tsedeno kiselo mlyako." It's used in many salads and dressings. Another similar product is "katak," often made from sheep or goat milk.
A type of strained yogurt called "basa" is a traditional cheese from the Lika region in Croatia. In Serbia and North Macedonia, it's known as kiselo mleko.
Northern Europe
In Denmark, there's a type of strained yogurt called ymer. It's not as thick as Greek yogurt because less whey is drained. Ymer is often eaten with "ymerdrys." This is a mix of toasted bread crumbs from rye bread and brown sugar. Ymer is often eaten for breakfast.
Strained yogurt is known as hangop in the Netherlands. This means 'hang up'. It's a traditional dessert. Hangop can also be made from buttermilk.
United Kingdom
In the UK, strained yogurt can only be called "Greek" if it's made in Greece. Strained cow-milk yogurt not made in Greece is usually sold as "Greek style" or "Greek recipe." This is for marketing, and it's often cheaper than yogurt made in Greece.
In 2012, a company called Chobani UK started selling yogurt made in the United States as "Greek yogurt." Another company, Fage, which makes yogurt in Greece, took them to court. FAGE said that UK shoppers thought "Greek" meant it came from Greece. Chobani said "Greek" meant a certain way of making yogurt. The court decided that "Greek yogurt" should mean it comes from Greece.
In 2020, a British company called Yeo Valley launched a product called "Super Thick Kerned Yogurt." "Kerned" is an old word from Somerset, England, meaning "thickened."
Other similar products are also sold in the UK. For example, "Lindahls Kvarg" is a high-protein strained curd cheese from Sweden. Arla also sells its own skyr product, called "Icelandic style yogurt."
North America
In Mexico, a thick yogurt called jocoque seco is very popular. It was brought by people from Lebanon who moved to Mexico.
Strained yogurt, often called "Greek yogurt," has become very popular in the United States and Canada. People often use it instead of sour cream because it has fewer calories. In 2015, Greek yogurt made up half of the yogurt market in the United States.
Many brands of "Greek yogurt" are sold in North America. Some, like FAGE, started by importing yogurt from Greece. Others, like Chobani and Oikos, began making Greek-style yogurt in the US.
How Strained Yogurt is Made
The thick texture and high protein in strained yogurt come from one or both of two main steps.
- First, the milk can be made thicker before the yogurt cultures are added. This removes some water.
- Second, after the yogurt is made, it can be spun or filtered to remove the whey. This is like the old way of straining yogurt through a cloth.
Many popular brands of "strained" yogurt use the second method. The exact details of how they do this are often kept secret. Other brands of Greek-style yogurt might add milk protein or thickeners to regular yogurt. This makes them thicker and boosts their protein content.
The liquid that comes out when yogurt is strained is called "acid whey." It contains water, yogurt cultures, protein, a little bit of lactose, and lactic acid. Getting rid of this liquid can be expensive for companies. Farmers sometimes use it to mix with animal feed or as fertilizer. It can also be used to create methane gas, which can make electricity.
Nutrition Facts
Strained yogurt is a great source of protein. It also provides important minerals like calcium, iodine, and vitamin B12. Because the liquid whey is removed, strained yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt. Strained yogurt must have at least 5.6% protein. Regular yogurt only needs 2.7%. Strained yogurt also has less sugar than other yogurts.
Vitamins and Minerals
Yogurt is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. These are found in higher amounts than in milk. However, some vitamins can be lost when yogurt is strained. These are mostly water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B12.
Macronutrients
There are no strict rules for how much carbohydrate, fat, and protein strained yogurts should have. Their content can vary a lot. Strained yogurts have more total solids (the non-water parts) than regular yogurts. This might help them stay fresh longer.
See also
In Spanish: Yogur colado para niños
