Yoghourt Yoghourt Yoghourt

Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, the bacterium that is responsible for giving Bulgarian yoghourt its unique flavour and consistency, can only be found in Bulgarian air.

An original national product
The Bulgarian sour milk (kiselo mliako) is an original national product. Outside Bulgaria it is known by the name of “yoghourt”. It is supposed that the Bulgarian sour milk was connected with sheep-breeding, which can be traced back to Thracian times. Shepherds made a great variety of products using the large output of milk. It is believed that the best masters of yoghourt came from the Razgrad district. Yoghourt is obtained from full-cream milk after lacto-acidic fermentation at a temperature of 40-45 degrees C. Depending on the type of milk used, the sour milk may be sheep, cow, buffalo, or mixed yoghourt. The greatest amount of fats is found in buffalo yoghourt - 7.5 per cent, followed by sheep yoghourt - 6.5 per cent and cow yoghourt - 3.6 per cent.

Recipes
Here follows a description of how you yourself can produce Bulgarian sour milk, fulfilling the recipe of the Razgrad masters:

Ingredients: 1 liter of fresh milk; 1 spoonful of sour milk to start fermentation.

Directions: Boil the milk and let it cool to 38-40 degrees C (it should be a little warmer than your hand). Pour 1/4 teacupful of it on the portion of sour milk required to start fermentation and mix well. Then add this mixture to the fresh milk. Stir well, cover the pot with a lid, wrap it with a woollen blanket and leave it in a warm place. The temperature of 38-40 degrees C should be maintained for three hours, while the sour milk fermentation develops. The yoghourt thus obtained is kept in the refrigerator. Here is a recipe for COLD YOGHOURT SOUP (TARRATOR) - perfect for hot suumer days: 1 lb. plain yoghourt; 1 1/2 cups cold water; 1 peeled and finely chopped cucumber; 2 cloves garlic (crushed); 4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp fresh dill; 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional) In a large bowl mix yoghourt and water until smooth. Add all other ingredients, stir well. Serve. Makes 6-8 servings. In hot summer days you can add 1 of cube ice in each serving bowl.