My youngest daughter took two semesters of Greek in college so it seemed reasonable to me to ask her what Greek Yoga was. I envisioned a room full of people sitting on mats chanting Alpha, Sigma, Delta…. She just looked at me and rolled her eyes as only a daughter can and said, “Mom, you mean Greek Yogurt, not Greek Yoga.” So I retorted, as only a Mom can, “Okay Smarty Pants, so what makes Greek yogurt Greek?”
This is a burning question that my clients have recently been asking me. Does Greek yogurt come from cows that read Plato? (I read Plato in high school and had no idea what I was reading. These must be really smart cows.) However, much to my relief I discovered there is no secret to Greek Yogurt. And by the way it is not Greek Yogurt, it is Greek Style Yogurt. Yogurt is milk that has been fermented by bacteria. Yogurt can be made with whole milk or fat free milk. It can have lots of added sugar or none. So, yogurt can be healthy-ful or unhealthy-ful (see previous blobgs). It all depends on the fat content and added sugars. Greek style yogurt is yogurt that has been strained by placing it in cheese cloth or a coffee filter for 8 hours or so. (Caution–do not make coffee with this filter afterwards just to save a few pennies. UGH) This straining process makes the yogurt denser and thus a more concentrated source of protein. There is nothing mystical about it. You can make your own yogurt with fat free milk and a yogurt starter. (All yogurt to your mark, get set, go-Bang!) Check out the Greek yogurt recipe. Now that we have cleared up this little misconception I can get back to my yogurt class, OOHHMMM…Alpha…Sigma…Delta….