Source · dairy
Thessaly Greek yogurt dairy
Thessaly plain, central Greece, GR
Placeholder dairy entry — traditional Greek yogurt is strained for several hours through cheesecloth, removing whey until the texture is thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Made from cow, sheep, or goat milk; Thessaly is the heartland of Greek dairy and home to FAGE and other industrial producers as well as the small village dairies they descended from.
The yogurt the rest of the world now knows as “Greek-style” — a thicker, lower-whey, higher-protein style that took over Western supermarkets in the 2010s. South Asian recipes that call for dahi or hung curd substitute Greek yogurt with no real penalty — the texture and acid profile are close enough that biryani and butter chicken behave the same.
Products
- Greek yogurt
- strained yogurt
- sheep yogurt
In season
- yogurt · Jan – Dec
Used in · 6
- Chicken Tikka MasalaTandoor-grilled chicken in a tomato-cream sauce with garam masala and fenugreek — the British-Bangladeshi invention that became Britain's most-eaten dish.
- Dal MakhaniWhole black urad lentils and red kidney beans simmered overnight with cream, butter, and tomatoes — Delhi's *Moti Mahal* invention that became the Punjabi banquet dal.
- Gulab JamunDeep-fried *khoya* (reduced-milk) dumplings soaked in a cardamom-and-rosewater syrup — Indian and Pakistani celebration dessert, eaten warm.
- NaanLeavened flatbread slapped to the wall of a clay tandoor, blistered and puffy in under a minute — North India and Persia's daily bread.
- Rogan JoshKashmiri lamb braised in yogurt and Kashmiri chili for a deep red gravy, perfumed with fennel, ginger, and cardamom — the showpiece of *Wazwan*, Kashmir's banquet cuisine.
- Tandoori ChickenYogurt-marinated bone-in chicken char-roasted in a 500°C clay oven (or the closest a home kitchen can manage).