Yogurt is a product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Like all other fermented milk products, yogurt was discovered accidentally as a result of milk being stored by primitive methods in warm climates. When fresh milk is left in containers with friendly bacteria it thickens and develops a sour taste while the lactic acid produced works as a preservative.
Many historical sources attribute yogurt to Neolithic peoples of Central Asia around 6000 B.C.. However, its first industrialized production is attributed to Isaac Carasso in 1919 in Barcelona. Due to its health benefits, yogurt rapidly travelled through countries since then and spread throughout the East.
Greek yogurt carries a sour taste along with a smooth texture and a thick consistency, something between conventional yogurt and cheese, and it is the result of yogurt being strained to remove its whey. Yogurt is very common in Greek and Mediterranean nutrition, is made in almost every house and constitutes the main component of “tzatziki” and other delicious dips and sauces as well.