# How did Yogurt change since the 1970's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 25, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097 "2023-06-25T22:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/21 "2023-06-26T13:18:31Z")
Does fage make a non-greek version? ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/22 "2023-06-26T13:19:23Z")
I agree that yogurt used to be much tangier, so I ‘dilute’ fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt with plain (about a 1 to 1 ratio). Geek yogurt doesn’t seem to have any tang at all, plus it’s too expensive 🙂 My biggest beef with current yogurt marketing is that the stores near me will have umpty-ump brands, but the same five or six flavors of every brand. A little variety would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/23 "2023-06-26T13:21:21Z")
If you make your own, you can control how tangy it gets by when you chill it. It gets thick before it gets very tangy, and continues to get tangier with about the same texture for a while. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/24 "2023-06-26T13:40:19Z")
Doctors say live yogurt is better for gut health. I buy Stoneybrook after taking antibiotics. I think it’s live. A lot of store brand yogurt is pasteurized to extend shelf life. That kills the yogurt culture. Homemade yogurt is better. I should start making it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/25 "2023-06-26T14:54:02Z")
It has definitely changed in a lot of products. I try to find plain old yogurt like my grandmother made at the grocery store but sometimes there isn’t any. That used to be the only kind they sold. Occasionally I’ll find a plain version with active culture and I don’t need the active culture, I’m not sure if that’s what the stores used to carry, I don’t really need yogurt with active culture (except for that thing with antibiotics and I don’t remember how that worked out in the end). I suppose there’s been changes to the milk product they start with over the years also. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/26 "2023-06-26T15:12:13Z")
Well, you _need_ active culture to make yogurt. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/27 "2023-06-26T15:13:34Z")
Sure. But I don’t need to make yogurt, I just want to buy it at the store. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/28 "2023-06-26T15:33:40Z")
Not that I know of. lt’s the Greek style I’ll eat. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/29 "2023-06-26T15:38:17Z")
As I recall the local health food stores in the 70s carried Dannon and Alta Dena. Don’t know what became of Alta Dena. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/30 "2023-06-26T15:57:33Z")
I remember the appearance of Yoplait in the Chicago-area market in the mid-70s. Another brand had been on supermarket shelves for some time; I think it was Dannon. The big deal about Yoplait, IIRC, was the fruit on the bottom. Most or all people I knew preferred it. Since we’re talking about yogurt, here’s a recipe that includes it. I’ve made it a few times and it’s good. I’m pretty sure it’s an iteration that’s seen many changes as it changed hands over time, so adjust accordingly (and let’s hear about your version, if it’s not too much of a hijack). **Vegetarian garbanzo-cauliflower curry** 400 g of cooked garbanzo beans Half of a medium-sized cauliflower Half an onion 1 leek 1 bay leaf 2 cloves of garlic 1 tomato Unsweetened Greek yogurt Fresh cilantro Ginger Spicy curry powder Ground cumin Vegetable broth or water Tabasco or similar hot sauce Cook the garbanzo beans until tender with the leek, one garlic clove, a bay leaf, salt and enough water or broth to end up with an inch or so after cooking. Discard the bay leaf, run the leek and garlic through a food mill (or a blender with some cooking liquid), dump that back into the beans and set the pot aside. Chop the onion and the other garlic clove, brown in oil with salt in another pot, and add the peeled, chopped tomato. Add cumin, ginger and curry powder, a few tablespoons of yogurt, lotsa chopped cilantro and a few drops of Tabasco. Mix well before adding the garbanzo beans with their liquid and the cauliflower in florets. Mix again and cook for another 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Serve over rice. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/31 "2023-06-26T16:01:35Z")
I remember Dannon sold fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, in those little eight-ounce tubs. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/32 "2023-06-26T16:04:12Z")
In the 1970s? I remember it being mixed into the yogurt. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/33 "2023-06-26T16:14:30Z")
Dannon’s website says that they have been selling it since 1947. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/34 "2023-06-26T16:15:24Z")
On the bottom or mixed in? C’mon, you’re not making this easy. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/35 "2023-06-26T16:16:55Z")
Fruit on the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/36 "2023-06-26T16:19:07Z")
Well, I guess I mis-remembered that one, or maybe the nearby supermarket didn’t carry that variety at the time. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/37 "2023-06-26T16:25:47Z")
The biggest change I see is the huge variety of yogurt and yogurt related products now. Personally I am lactose sensitive so it’s kefir and Greek mostly. Skyrr is good but costs more for nothing significantly better to my taste. The flavored products have crazy amounts of added sugar for my preferences. And all sorts of other crap. I like plain minimal extra added and tangy. No preference on fat percent. My wife like Brown Cow whole milk single serving containers to take on the run. She can handle the lactose. Has the amount of added sugar in flavored products increased over the years? ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/38 "2023-06-26T16:35:40Z")
When I was a little kid in the early 1960s, the only yogurt available at Chicago area grocery stores–or at least Jewel and National, where Mom shopped–was Dr. Gaymont. It came in plain and strawberry. The strawberry had fruit already mixed in and was slightly thinner than the custard style popular today. There really was a Dr. Gaymont, too. [According to Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Gaymont), he was a Hungarian immigrant who had a PhD in bacteriology and > In addition to his introduction of yogurt to American markets, Gaymont has been credited with inventing [frozen yogurt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_yogurt), whipped [cream cheese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_cheese), and low-fat [sour cream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_cream), and pioneered the marketing of yogurt in single-serving containers,[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Gaymont#cite_note-Oxford-3) and of yogurt mixed with [fruit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit).[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Gaymont#cite_note-Tribune-2)[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Gaymont#cite_note-NYT-1) Gaymont “revolutionized the dairy business by introducing bacteriological health-control methods”.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Gaymont#cite_note-Tribune-2) Was Dr. Gaymont available nationally, or only in Chicago? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/39 "2023-06-26T16:42:52Z")
Dannon’s big thing was fruit on the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097/40 "2023-06-26T16:50:33Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Dannon’s big thing was fruit on the bottom And implying that you will live a long and active life if you eat yogurt. 😉 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4AAWiNAE8Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4AAWiNAE8Q) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-yogurt-change-since-the-1970s/986097.md?page=3)