And then another yogurt company decided to market a new brand of yogurt... by naming it... (drum roll please...) "Bulgaria"!
Of course the first company sued the second company. And then the Bulgarian embassy weighed in, supporting the second company, because it turned out that the first company was using yogurt-making germs imported from Germany!
And then the court decided for the first company, essentially declaring that the nation of Bulgaria, sadly, does not own the name "Bulgaria" (or "Bulgaris", or Bulga-whatever) in Korean trademark system. (But don't quote me on that. IANAL.) The whole affair was very entertaining.
I'm not sure about ethnic Bulgarians but ethnic Turks in Bulgaria consume yoğurt every day. There is always yoğurt in their kitchen.
After having a Bulgarian boss and a Bulgarian girlfriend, I must say Koreans are up to something.
To avoid misunderstandings: they weren't related but they both were extremely self-disciplined, stubborn and healthy.
In Turkey, yoghurt is consumed in enormous quantities. Here is an ad and this is a typical size yoghurt sold in the shops(anywhere from 1.5Kg to 3Kg): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anlWAx9-3Kg
Variety is huge, from traditional to premium fatty yoghurt, there's something for everyone. For example, this one ise considered to be one of the best mass produced varieties(That's a fatty crust that forms naturally over the yoghurt): http://galeri2.uludagsozluk.com/207/tikveşli-altın-kaymaklı-...
Ayran(add water and salt to the yoghurt, stir thoroughly) is considered the national beverage. Again, consumed in enormous quantities, much more popular than Coca-Cola.
Living abroad can be a challenge for Turks and Bulgarians because the yoghurt sold abroad hardly matches the stuff back home.
I have pretty much resigned and I'm buying Yoplait 2%. It's ok. But the real crazy thing is that if you buy Yoplait fruit yoghurt in France, it tastes so much better than their American version. Same company, but they have also resigned to creating something that fits the American palate and are selling that instead of the real deal. :-(
It's surprisingly easy. I have ulcerative colitis and a friend recommended diy yogurt. It's not a silver bullet but it helps.
Im making some now with whole milk, and starter cultures I got from yogurmet,and an anova sous vide circulator.
Get milk to 180 Drop to 115 Add culture Keep at 115 for 24 hrs Put in fridge
First time I tried it I think I finished a half gallon in 2 days.
Btw, that "Greek yoghurt" is, 90% of the time, Total by Fage (Total is the name of the product, Fage the brand), including the ones that come together with a pot of jam on the side, as immortalised by Silicon Valley's Erlich Bachman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR_taax1TUc
Unless it's Greek style yoghurt which is invariably exactly as wrong as it sounds.
These were interesting:
http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2014/03/24/greek-yogurt-pr... - how the marketing of Greek yogurt started by Chobani, and legal battle with Fage
https://www.olivetomato.com/will-the-real-greek-yogurt-pleas.... - about straining removing the whey from the milk
With honey, it’s the best thing in the world. Actually it’s still there according to the site, and according to the site it is strained.
http://www.sophiasgreekpantry.com
Article talking about straining:
http://www.ediblenetwork.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/im...
I'm ashamed we Bulgarians haven't done better marketing of it as it is really good and superior than Greek. Everyone knows about Greek yogurt but nobody knows about Bulgarian * . I love Greek yogurt too, but the reason it's so thick is that it is strained.
Bulgarian yogurt derives its thickness and structure from the fermentation process, and good yogurt should not fall off if you turn the jar upside down.
* - at least in USA, in east Asia (Japan, Thailand in my experience) the most popular brand of yogurt is named "Bulgaria" and is in every 7/11 or supermarket.
EDIT: format of the asteriks