Brief history of yogurt

Plain yogurt is part of the local Bulgarian diet for centuries, but its modern era began at the beginning of 1900s with the discovery of the “good bacteria” responsible for turning milk into yogurt. The bacteria now known as Lactobacillus bulgaricus is native to Bulgaria and could be found in air, soil, bark of the trees, and hills, gras dew drops etc. In the country’s pristine mountains shepherds made yogurt with the naturally born fermenting bacteria by squeezing the juice from plants such as Christ’s thorn and Barberry and adding to it warm milk. The peasants in the villages made their yogurt by sopping leftovers of the tastiest yogurt in the new batch.

This natural selection led to the creation of the healthiest and best tasting yogurt in the world today and Lactobacillus bulgaricus became a national treasure.

The “good bacteria” was first discovered by the Bulgarian scientist Dr. Stamen Grigorov in 1905 and in his honor was named Bulgaricus. Lactobacillus bulgaricus produces a very unique and specific set of fatty acids after it “eats” milk’s lactose. This process transforms milk into the thick substance of yogurt. The biologist and Nobel prize winner, Ilya Metchnikoff – while working for the Institut Pasteur, Paris, was fascinated by this discovery. His curiosity led him to study in detail the diet of the Bulgarian centenarians and he was able to link the daily yogurt consumption to their longevity. At that time Bulgaria took first place for the number of centenarians per capita among 38 European countries. Metchnikoff discovered the correlation between the probiotic bacteria and their ability to inhibit harmful food fermentation in the gut which delays the aging process.

This is the reason every commercially produced yogurt brand on the planet is more than happy to print Lactobacillus bulgaricus on its label. Yogurt commonly contains two sets of probiotic bacteria – Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Major impact on the taste and health benefits come from the strains of those bacteria used in the different yogurt recipes around the world. The Bulgarian type undeniably being the best.

Let the Greeks have their philosophers and leave the yogurt to us – the Bulgarians.

Yogurt is an ancient food consumed in various geographic regions of the world. In the US commercial production started just 80 years ago, but quickly found its way to the American lifestyle. It became a base for the morning cereal and snack alternative. Being a bit tart or too mild for the American palate, the plain yogurt was soon supplemented by other flavored varieties, with added fruits or sugar and is now common treat on shelves of the grocery stores.

Among them Trimona Bulgarian yogurt is striving to give the best quality and nutritional value possible. Find our products here: Where to buy