How is Greek yoghurt different from the yoghurt we eat

A.� People in Central Asia, the Balkans and Turkey have made yoghurt throughout history to preserve milk, much in the same way as people in Northern Europe have made cheese and butter.

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it was strictly produced on a domestic scale, using the milk most readily available to people in the Balkans and the Middle East - sheep's. It is now made on a large scale in most countries, using milk from cattle, which are imported if necessary. Cows can yield up to 30kg of milk a day each, sheep only 1.5kg, so it is easier to satisfy demand by using cow's milk.

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In Greece, the market is dominated by Fage, which exports the Total brand of Greek yoghurt to the UK. Fage's process is much the same as in domestic kitchens, but with more checks and controls, and on a bigger scale. The milk is first tested for fat content and protein level, then pasteurised. The culture is added and the mixture left to thicken.

But where Greek yoghurt differs is that when it has thickened, it is strained to remove some of the water content. This yields a thick, creamy yoghurt that is eaten as a snack at any time of the day, sometimes drizzled with honey, or scattered with toasted nuts.

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Q.� Can you cook with it

A.� Greek yoghurt is ideal for cooking because of its relatively high fat content - around 10 per cent - which means it won't split when heated. However, it is not used in the same way by Greek cooks as it is in, say, India, where it is known as dahi.

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There it is used to make spicy soups, add a creamy texture to curry and make relishes such as raita. The natural acidity of yoghurt also makes it the perfect marinade for meat or fish, as it breaks down proteins, therby tenderising the flesh.

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Q.� What about its use in Britain

A.� Britons eat around 6,000 tons of yoghurt a week and as early as 1845 a recipe for yoghurt appeared in Eliza Acton's Modern Cooking For Private Families.

Of her dish 'Du Lait a Madame', she says: "This preparation is much eaten abroad during the summer, and is considered very wholesome. The milk becomes a very soft curd, slightly, but not unpleasantly, acid in flavour".

To make the dish, she pours scalded milk into a bowl that has been swirled around with buttermilk. Buttermilk then was merely the sour, skimmed milk left over after butter had been churned, rather than the commercial product it is today.

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Yoghurt has always been the dieter's best friend here too. It's good for all manner of dips, relishes and side dishes which add interest to plain grilled meat. Use it to cool down a spicy fajita or chickpea curry, or stir into grated cucumber and garlic to make tsatsiki.

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Strained yoghurt can be used in� place of some of the fat and liquid when making cakes and muffins, stirred into soups and stews or added to cooked pasta like a sauce.

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By Katharine MacColl

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