The Facts on Fage Greek Yogurt

Easiyo 252102 Greek Style Yogurt Base and Culture, 6-Ounce (Kitchen)

Fage is to Greek yogurt what tissues are to Kleenex. When you are a company better than most, people start to think that you are the product. If you've been confused about Fage (fa-yeh) yogurt, let's set the record straight.

Fage S.A. is a Greek dairy company headquartered in Athens. Started in 1926, yogurt soon became Fage's featured product. Fage is now Greece's largest dairy company and best known Greek yogurt.

It's Greek to Me

What makes Greek yogurt Greek is in the drain.

A partial amount of the whey is strained after the culturing process. Its consistency is somewhere between commercial American yogurt and yogurt cheese - about the consistency of sour cream.

Traditionally, Greek yogurt is made with the addition of milk cream so check those calories and fat content.

Greek yogurt starters are full-cream milk (usually 98% whole milk solids).

Greek yogurt is said to be tangier than American yogurt but the truth is the tang is due to the fact that it is unsweetened.

Often thought to have more protein, the milk in Greek yogurt is no higher in protein than any other milk.

Greek yogurt is a style of yogurt. If you love thick yogurt and don't fear the calories or fat, Greek yogurt is for you. However, if you want to keep your yogurt on the skim side, don't miss out on the great things you can do with Greek yogurt. It makes fabulous dips, dressings and sauces - Greek style - that deserve a place in any health conscious diet.

What Makes Fage Famous

There's no reason to pay nearly $2.00 for a container of great Greek yogurt. Here are some tips from Fage that can help you Go Greek and save the budget.

The number one rule in yogurt making is practice makes perfect and with 500 million pots of yogurt made every year, Fage gets a lot of practice.

Fage attributes their unique yogurt straining process for their yogurt's unique taste and texture. If you don't have a good yogurt strainer, pick one up and start practicing.

Quality milk matters. Fage is made from raw milk and raw cream. Its milk is rBGH-free (the cows are not feed the bovine growth hormone). Make sure you pre-scald if using raw milk.

Love the fat, but forget the sweeteners, thickeners and powdered anything. Fage's only ingredients are milk, cream and live active cultures.

Don't forget to collect and use the whey when making Greek yogurt.