Imagine that you live in a perfect world. There are no wars because political differences have been set aside for the greater good of mankind. People everywhere have enough to eat and the debate over whether wanting something is more satisfying than having it becomes moot because want has ceased to exist.
The power of Greek yogurt is such that when you consume it you believe that these things are in fact attainable.
So what exactly is Greek yogurt? Quite simply it is yogurt imported from Greece. There are recipes for making your own but I will not include them here because if you live in Greece you have the secret and if you reside elsewhere you can try making it but it’s my belief that Greek yogurt is like San Francisco sourdough. It’s best there and everything else is merely a shadow, an echo, a fraudulent forgery of the sublime original product.
Unlike yogurts produced in other parts of the world Greek yogurt is strained after culturing. This produces an unexpectedly rich, dense and very creamy dairy product with almost none of the sour tang typically associated with yogurt. Greek yogurt is unlike any other yogurt produced on earth and when perfection in food or drink exists there will be those who try to pass off shabby imitations as a substitute for the real thing.
During my last shopping trip I came upon one of these imposter products. The Greek Gods Traditional Yogurt is not Greek yogurt. It is not made in Greece and when you compare it to some of the watery artificially colored yogurt products that sit on the grocer’s shelves it's a rich and creamy treat but at the end of the day it is merely Greek style yogurt and not true Greek yogurt such as the yogurt Fage exports.
Fage is the largest dairy company in Greece and if you can’t afford a trip to Athens then my suggestion would be to pull the parchment off the top of a container and indulge. There’s no empirical evidence to support my theory that ancient Greek philosophers were inspired by the yogurt their countrymen cultured but I believe that this world would be a kinder, gentler, better and greener planet if there was enough Greek yogurt for everyone.