The History Of Yoghurt - A Modern Day Super Food

Yoghurt is possibly one of the most loved super foods available on the market today. Many people around the world, however still dislike it because of its natural taste that does not appeal to them. The good news is that there are many varieties of yoghurt on the market today, and it is fast becoming a staple part of our diet.

How did yoghurt come into existence?
Yoghurt has existed for more than four thousand five hundred years . Yoghurts' history dates back to central Asia, India, and the central and southern regions of Europe. Yoghurt is now commonly eaten in every part of the world. The main reasons why yoghurt is so popular is that it is extremely healthy, provides a wide variety of nutrional benefits, and is affordable as well. Apart from this, yoghurt is a highly accessible super food as compared to some other super foods that are not so common in the market and are thus relatively expensive.

Homemade yoghurt is a lot erent than the store bought variety, which is often highly sweetened, coloured, pasteurised, and pumped with preservatives intended to increase its shelf life. For these reasons, homemade yoghurt is more preferred and is of course, better for health and quite nutritious.

The History of Yoghurt
The very first evidence of the existence of yoghurt dates back to 2500 BC. It was accidentally discovered when it was found that milk left in a warmer place for too long turns thick and rancid to become yoghurt. The production of the fermented variation of milk has been observed for more than fifteen hundred years now. It has been speculated that the first known use of yoghurt would be during the pre-Biblical times.

Ancient yoghurt was spontaneously fermented by using wild bacteria that lived on goatskin bags used by a nomadic tribe know as the Bulgars. Evidence from the time reveals that these ancient people were quite sophisticated in the methods they used for agriculture and farming in addition to the field of fermented milk production. The ancient Indians, Egyptians, Sumerians, and Babylonians have also been consuming yoghurt for many hundreds of years.

While yoghurt has been used in Asia and parts of the central and Mediterranean European countries for thousands and thousands of years, it was only during the early part of the last century that suggestions arose about the Bulgarian peasants, who confirmed the fact that the eating of yoghurt could lead to healthy and longer life. This was the first step that catapulted yoghurt to become a super food that offers many health benefits.


Why is Yoghurt so popular?

The numerous benefits of yoghurt make it one of the most popular super foods or health foods around today. For one, it is the richest source of natural calcium, potassium, vitamin B, and B12. Research has also shown that yoghurt helps in stabilising the immune system and has many medicinal properties. This is so because it consists of the essential live culture or bacteria that promote overall health and well-being.