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As we have mentioned in our previous article, one of the products with highest probiotic content is homemade yogurt. A well - known fact is that traditional Bulgarian yogurt, being produced following the genuine receipt, is very different from the similar fermented milk products (also known as Yogurt), which many countries offer at their internal market. They are creamer and barely assemble the taste and consistence of the Bulgarian yogurt. Whoever has tasted, knows…
Moreover as a rich probiotic source, yogurt has many healthy characteristics, which makes it our unique patent for long life and well-being. It’s unnecessary to present all the benefits from yogurt consumption in details, but we can name some – stronger bones, teeth, hair and nails, purer skin, higher immunity, positive influence on diets, better digestion, lower risk from mucus infections etc.
According to the Russian Nobel laureate Ilya Mechnikov, aging is a disease like any other and longevity is a result of the consumption of dairy products. He discovered that the decay processes in the large intestine, influenced by the bacteria, contained in it, can cause early death and the only food capable of restricting these processes is the Bulgarian yogurt. To support that theory, is enough to mention that in the early twentieth century in Bulgaria there were about 426 people at the age of 100 or more on every 1 million citizens. So it was logical for the scientist to assume that their longevity lies on regular yogurt consumption. Laboratorial experiments showed that these bacteria turn sugar into lactic acid, destroying the bacteria causing decay.
With age and under the influence of negative factors (alcohol, infections, smoking etc), cells degenerate and become vulnerable to bad bacteria in our organism. Therefore Mechnikov thought that with the right lactobacillus, the negative influence of these bacteria can be reduced. In other words, he understood that it’s very important to keep stable gut flora.
“Gut flora is the main reason for our short life”- Ilya Mechnikov
Cells have to be stimulated to influence the microbes, prevent decay processes and slow-down aging. In the beginning of the XX century the scientist conducts series of researches in the French Institute of Louis Pasteur and creates the first medicine based on Lactobacillus bulgaricus, called Lactobacillin.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian medicine student of the University of Geneva- Stamen Grigorov becomes the first person, who studied the microflora of the Bulgarian yogurt.
It became clear that it consists of two bacteria- one rod-shaped, called Lactobacillus bulgaricus and one- bean-shaped - Streptococcus thermophilus, under the influence of which, row milk turns into yogurt.
1922 he tested what he developed as anti-tuberculosis vaccine. The house where he was born, situated in the village of Studen Izvor is now a museum of yogurt.
Few people know that one of the bacteria in Bulgarian yogurt- Streptococcus thermophilus contains an enzyme – (ADH) - Alcohol dehydrogenase, which helps alcohol to be degraded in the large intestine. Thus yogurt consumption can prevent some consequences of frequent alcohol abuse, unfortunately not all of them.
In Bulgaria and the neighbor countries, people treat hangover with a drink called “айрян”-[ayran] - yogurt diluted with water and a pinch of salt. Strange as it may seem that drink really helps to restore the normal gastro-intestinal functions and is very tasty. Another traditional for the region yogurt product that fights hangover is called “tarator”. Consumed mainly in summer, this cold soup with yogurt, salt, water, fresh fennel, garlic, cucumbers and hazelnuts is the easiest dish you can prepare yourself at home. You wouldn’t believe how healthy it is until you try it.
We all eat yogurt in various forms and packages with various tastes, cereals, fruits or without them. But Bulgarian yogurt is different in thickness and taste from the product, sold with the same name in other countries. Bulgarian yogurt is not cream-like, it’s more tasteful, contains water and a taste between sweet and sour. It can be called a super food because its medical properties have been proven. So how to consume Bulgarian yogurt when you are not in Bulgaria?
Dare to make it at home. You can buy original Bulgarian starter culture online and have it delivered to any place in the world, wherever you are! You may be concerned about the preparation but all you have to do is follow the steps.
Many yogurt preparation recipes have occurred from the Middle century till nowadays.
Row milk was mixed with pegs held in an anthill, dry pieces of stomach or intestinal mucosa of suckling animals etc. These were called. yeasts that turn milk into yogurt. Later a new method for long-term storage of microorganisms was discovered. The yogurt was tied in a loose cloth and hanged in a cool, well-ventilated place. After a few weeks the resulting crust was scraped and wrapped in a clean, dry cloth. The following year, the stored powder was dissoluted in warm water and used for leavening.
Advancing biotechnologies shortened the time for preparation to 24-48 hours. Microorganisms get dried through vacuum by low temperatures and then get packed in hermetically closed packages. This modern technology is called Lyophilization.
Yogurt Starters for home made yogurt, kefir and bifidus yogurt are natural bacterial cultures, concentrated in lactic environment, lyophilized and well-packed. Their content is of the best selection strains of lactic bacteria and bifidus bacteria with proven probiotic properties. There are no additives, preservatives or genetically modified contents.
