Yogurt facts for kids

Yogurt from the "Atatürk Orman Çiftliği" farm in Ankara, Turkey.

Cacık, a cold Turkish yogurt dish.

Yogurt is a popular dairy product made from milk. It is created when tiny living things called bacteria ferment the milk. This process changes the lactose (a sugar in milk) into lactic acid. Lactic acid makes the yogurt thick and gives it a slightly sour taste.

To make yogurt, milk is first heated to about 80 °C. This kills any unwanted bacteria and helps the milk proteins set properly. After cooling to about 45 °C, special bacteria are added. The milk then stays at this warm temperature for 4 to 7 hours to ferment. You can also make yogurt from soy milk, which is called soy yogurt.

Yogurt is one of the oldest foods humans have made. People have been eating it for thousands of years, and it's enjoyed all over the world today. It's packed with good things like protein, calcium, and several B vitamins (like riboflavin, vitamin B₆, and vitamin B₁₂).

How do you spell "yogurt"?

In English, you can spell the word as 'yogurt' or 'yoghurt'. In Canada, 'yogourt' is also a common spelling. You can say it with a short 'o' sound or a long 'o' sound.

When did people start eating yogurt?

The first yogurts were probably made by accident. Wild bacteria likely fermented milk, creating a sour but tasty food.

The oldest writings that mention yogurt come from Pliny the Elder. He wrote that some people knew how to make milk thick and sour, but still delicious.

In 1905, a Bulgarian medical student named Stamen Grigorov studied the bacteria in Bulgarian yogurt. He found two types of bacteria that make lactic acid. One of these, a rod-shaped bacterium, was later named Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

A famous Russian biologist named Ilya Mechnikov, who won a Nobel Prize, was inspired by Grigorov's work. Mechnikov thought that eating yogurt regularly helped Bulgarian farmers live long lives. He believed that Lactobacillus bacteria were important for good health. He worked to make yogurt popular across Europe.

Why is yogurt good for you?

Yogurt is very healthy! It has lots of protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Many people who have lactose intolerance (meaning they have trouble digesting lactose in milk) can eat yogurt. This is because most of the lactose in yogurt has been changed into lactic acid by the bacteria.

Yogurt can also be helpful for health in other ways. For example, it might help prevent diarrhea that can sometimes happen when people take antibiotics.

Images for kids

• 

  Unstirred Turkish Süzme Yoğurt (strained yogurt).

• 

  Yogurt in a supermarket refrigerator.

• 

  Tzatziki or cacık is a dish made with yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, and fresh mint or dill.

• 

  A coffee filter used to strain yogurt at home.

• 

  A home yogurt maker.

• 

  Doogh is a savory yogurt drink, often served cold and sometimes with mint and salt.

• 

  Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product, similar to strained yogurt.

• 

  Raita is a yogurt-based side dish from the Indian subcontinent.

• 

  Dadiah in a market.

• 

  Yogurt made from plant milk.

• 

  Another type of home yogurt maker.

• 

  A drinkable yogurt made from water buffalo milk.

See also

In Spanish: Yogur para niños