There’s a reason so many recipes call for strained yoghurt. It’s creamier and thicker than the plain variety. It’s lower in sugar with a pleasingly tart flavour. It’s nutritious and – most importantly of all – tastes delicious. Hard to believe that before the 1980s, it was all but non-existent in UK shops. That was, until, a Greek dairy company called FAGE (pronounced fah-yeh) started exporting it into the country from Athens.
FAGE has been making and selling yoghurt since 1926, when Athanassios Filippou’s family opened a dairy shop in central Athens. Above all, it was the family’s yoghurt that proved popular, boasting a rich, creamy texture and indulgent taste. But why is FAGE’s yoghurt so good?
For yoghurt to become Greek yoghurt, it needs to be strained. The yoghurt itself is made like any other, but unlike thinner, more watery plain yoghurts, Greek yoghurt is strained of its whey until thick, luscious and rich in protein. The resulting product is perfect for dipping, dolloping, marinating or creating sauces with, retaining its thicker, stiffer texture and absorbing other flavours beautifully.
FAGE’s recipe takes this process further, requiring four litres of milk to produce just one litre of its yoghurt, before being mixed with the company’s own live active yoghurt cultures. This is what gives the yoghurt its distinctive flavour and sets it apart from other strained yoghurts. It’s then slow-fermented, allowing the cultures to work their magic, before going through a unique straining process to remove the watery whey and create FAGE’s signature Total yoghurt. It is this unique process which creates the yoghurt FAGE’s customers love. Deliciously thick and creamy and high in protein.
