Bulgarian yogurt
(Kiselo Mlyako)
Bulgarian yogurt is known all over the world for
the qualities of
its taste. For the people around the world it is a
delicacy and for
Bulgarian people it is part of their daily menu,
which is always
present on the table. Bulgarian people use yogurt
to make many
dishes. The yogurt is included into the composition
of recipes for
soups, salads, desserts, garnishes, etc. Yogurt can
be made at home
as long as you follow certain basic rules.
But what makes Bulgaria different from other
countries and what causes the fact that only here, this small country
on the Balkan Peninsula offers the most delicious yogurt in the
world?
The reason lies in a small bacterium known by
different names, but it is most often called Lactobacillus
bulgaricus. It causes the fermentation of milk and its superb taste. Its
discoverer is the remarkable Bulgarian bacteriologist Dr. Stamen Grigorov.
Stamen Grigorov (1878 – 1945)
Stamen Grigorov was born in the village of Studen Izvor in Tran area in 1878. The homeland of Grigorov – the region of Tran, is famous throughout the country for its delicious yogurt. Ever since he was a child, Grigorov was strongly attracted to nature and science, and the teachers at school were impressed by the ease with which he absorbed the material. His curiosity and his ambitions took him to the Male
High School in Sofia - the most prestigious school at those times in
Bulgaria, and immediately thereafter, to Montpellier, France, where he
studied natural sciences. After graduating, Grigorov continued his studies in the sphere of medicine in Geneva, where he met the famous bacteriologist
Professor Masol. The professor was impressed by the young Bulgarian and
tolerated him, and he even appointed him as his assistant. This was a
great opportunity for Grigorov because it gave him access to the professor’s
laboratory, which was one of the best equipped laboratories of its time. And there
he made his greatest discovery!
At that time - about the beginning of the twentieth
century, the purpose
of Stamen Grigorov was to understand which
microorganism caused the
fermentation of milk. At the same time, by the
initiative of Pasteur’s Institute in
Paris, whose director was the emigrant
bacteriologist from Russia, Ilya Ilyich
Mechnikov, a survey was carried out around the
world about the number of
centenarians and their share of the population of
each country. Surprisingly,
it appeared that most centenarians lived in
Bulgaria. By the way of logic,
Mechnikov concluded that the cause for their
longevity lied in the daily
consumption of Bulgarian yogurt. This raised the
question - how to make
yogurt in other countries.
Just then Mechnikov received a letter from Geneva,
by his colleague Prof.
Massol, from which he learned that the young
Bulgarian Assistant of Massol had solved the mystery and had isolated a
rod-shaped
bacterium that causes the milk to turn sour and
develop a specific taste.
Mechnikov invited the young scientist to Paris,
where he offered him to
present his discovery to the most influential
scientific community. Grigorov
delivered his report and induced the applause of
the scientists. Soon his
name appeared in numerous scientific journals and
was added to the
name of the bacterium - “Lactobacillus delbureckii
subsp. bulgaricus
Grigoroff 1905 “.
Later, after completing his doctorate, Grigorov
returned to Bulgaria
and diverted a number of proposals. One of them was
to take over the
leadership of the Pasteur Institute in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. The young doctor
returned to his native county and became a
physician and head of the
hospital in the town of Tran. Later, he worked on a
number of studies on
the treatment of tuberculosis and lung diseases. He
died in Bulgaria
in 1945.
Nowadays, owing to Dr. Stamen Grigorov, the
centuries-old secret of
yogurt is solved. Its undeniable taste and dietetic
qualities are the reason
it is known all over the world and is one of the symbols of
Bulgaria.
Nowadays in the home village of Stamen Grigorov
there is
a museum dedicated to yogurt. The museum is
situated in a
recently restored old house. The first floor
exhibits an interesting
ethnographic collection of female costumes from the
area of
Tran, as well as various containers and equipment
for dairy
products production and storage. There is a “lump”
for butter
churning and other ceramic cookware for yogurt
making. The exhibition on the second floor is dedicated to industrial
production of yogurt and to the discoverer of the sour milk bacteria.
Recipe
In order to make yogurt at home, you will need milk
and
some yogurt for ferment (1 tablespoon yogurt will be
enough for a liter of milk). Boil the milk in
advance and let it
cool to a temperature of about 42-45° C. If you don’t
have a
thermometer, you can dip your little finger in the
milk. It is
suitable for souring if it is not hot and has a
pleasant warm
temperature.
1.
Pour the boiled milk in a pot,
leaving about 50 grams aside.
2.
Prepare the ferment in another
small bowl. Mix the yogurt
with the rest of the milk and
stir.
3.
Add the ferment to the warm
milk and stir.
4.
Cover the container with a cloth to
keep the heat and leave for 3-4 hours,
check it from time to time.
5.
Remove the towel and leave
the milk to cool after you
make sure that the milk has
fermented.
Milk should not be allowed to ferment longer, as it
will become
too sour and won’t have a pleasant taste. The ready
yogurt can
be consumed directly or can be included in other
meals - tarator
(cucumber soup), salad, buttermilk, desserts, etc.
The milk has best
taste qualities when it is cold.
I also found this amazing website which includes a lot of recipes with bulgarian yogurt and decided to share it with you :
Enjoy !
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