Yogurt!

[Hiroyuki]

I usually eat Bulgaria but a little while ago MEGMILK'S Megumi was on sale and I tried that one. I really liked it. It was creamier than Bulgaria and a touch sweeter. I wish they would put it on sale again because it is just too expensive otherwse.

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By "the former Yukijirushi's Nature", I meant MEGMILK's Megumi. Was it that good? I thought it was the same as Nature...

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No it is different tasting than nature (I also found nature bland) and it is quite pricey usually more than Bulgaria. I usually eat it for breakfast with some homemade granola so the creaminess and touch of sweetness is nice. I don't think I would care for it with savory dishes as much.

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I bought four packs of Megumi today for 138 yen per pack (it was on sale). I compared it with Bulgaria at lunchtime. You could say the Megumi is creamier and less sour, but I really don't care about which brand to buy. I'll stick to the policy: Buy the cheapest on the day.

[Hiroyuki]

I usually eat Bulgaria but a little while ago MEGMILK'S Megumi was on sale and I tried that one. I really liked it. It was creamier than Bulgaria and a touch sweeter. I wish they would put it on sale again because it is just too expensive otherwse.

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By "the former Yukijirushi's Nature", I meant MEGMILK's Megumi. Was it that good? I thought it was the same as Nature...

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No it is different tasting than nature (I also found nature bland) and it is quite pricey usually more than Bulgaria. I usually eat it for breakfast with some homemade granola so the creaminess and touch of sweetness is nice. I don't think I would care for it with savory dishes as much.

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I bought four packs of Megumi today for 138 yen per pack (it was on sale). I compared it with Bulgaria at lunchtime. You could say the Megumi is creamier and less sour, but I really don't care about which brand to buy. I'll stick to the policy: Buy the cheapest on the day.

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I later told my wife that they (Megumi and Bulgaria) were not so different, and she replied, "They're totally different!" She must be a good judge of yorgurt, and I am not.

[torakris]

red shiso flavored yogurt

I was disappointed by the lack of flavor..

[IcyBarbie]

While visiting friends in Tokyo I was introduced to a peculiar type of yoghurt called Caspian Sea Yoghurt. Apparantly my friend's mother obtained the original culture from an agricultuaral researcher who brought it back from an expedition to the Caspian Sea.

It's quite different from the Balkan style yoghurt we're used to in the west. The flavour is smoother, with minimal tanginess, and it has a runnier consistency which reminds me of melted marshmellows.

I love it plain or with berries. My friends have it with maple syrup (Canadian influence).

Here's what Wiki has to say about it:

In Japan, Caspian Sea Yoghurt is a very popular homemade yoghurt. It is believed to have been introduced into the country by researchers in a sample brought back from Georgia in the Caucasus region in 1986. This Georgian yoghurt, called Matsoni, is mostly made up of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Acetobacter orientalis and has a uniquely viscous, honey-like texture and is milder in taste than many other yoghurts.

Caspian Sea yoghurt is well-suited for making yoghurt at home because it require no special equipment and cultures at room temperature (20–30°C) in about 10 to 15 hours, depending on the temperature. In Japan, freeze-dried starter cultures are sold in big department stores or online, although many people obtain starter cultures from friends as well.

[torakris]

I haven't had Caspian Sea yogurt in years. It was a huge fad a couple years ago but at that time you couldn't buy it you had to get some from a friend and then make your own. It was incredibly easy to make as you just mixed it with milk and let it sit at room temperature over night, no fussing about proper temperature. I let my batch go after an extended trip to the US and never went back to it.

I really loved the texture of it but prefer a little more tang in my yogurt.

One company is selling it now in regular yogurt packages, not the starter the real yogurt. I just recently noticed it on the shelves.

Welcome to eGullet and the Japan Forum IcyBarbie!

I found it!

Fujicco's Caspian Sea yogurt (regular and drinkable types)

[_john]

I recently started a very interesting yogurt culture. I bought various yogurts that included active cultures including caspian, bulgaria, and some others and mixed them together with milk and a dash of powdered milk. I bought a 1.4 liter unglazed terracotta flower pot and filled the hole in the bottom with silicon. Then I mixed some 4.4 percent butter fat milk and the active cultures and put it into the flower pot and covered it with a cloth. I put the flower pot in my rice cooker sitting on a steamer basket on the warming function over night and the results were stunning. Really creamy, just tangy enough, and great milk flavor comes through. The terracotta allows some moisture to evaporate and the heat to evenly penetrate. I have been eating it and leaving about 1/4cup in the bottom, adding more milk, and incubating over night. I'm hooked, I highly recommend it.

[torakris]

Another great use for the rice cooker! I had never thought of that.

Do you then just transfer it to the refrigerator in the pot?

[_john]

yeah it usually lives in the refrigerator. I sometimes use the warming function as a proofing chamber too but it is a little to hot for that.

[torakris]

I am currently a fan of the Danone (Dannon) Bio yogurt, this is known as Activia most other parts of the world.

The fig mix and prune are both wonderful.

This is their current line-up in Japan

Today, 9/22, the newest flavor goes on sale. Yasai (vegetable) with 16 vegetables included in that tiny little cup. I am looking forward to trying this one.

ETA here is more information on the the new vegetable flavor

Edited September 21, 2008 by torakris (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Yogurts that are in the fridge right now:

Of them, I like the bottom left one the best because it's light and less sweet. The top left one is sour (which I like), and the top right one is rather sweet. The bottom right one is actually what we call "nomu" ("drinking") yogurt. The one shown here is made by Yasuda, which makes a number of high quality (and expensive) yogurt products.

[prasantrin]

The one shown here is made by Yasuda, which makes a number of high quality (and expensive) yogurt products.

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I love Yasuda's yogurt. I used to buy it a lot, but now I'm poor so I have to buy the stuff at Costco (4 500ml containers for about Y500).

[torakris]

Next week (10/21) Pepsi will debut a new yogurt flavor.

Pepsi White

[melonpan]

Next week (10/21) Pepsi will debut a new yogurt flavor.

Pepsi White

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cool. like calpis soda! i wish these types of drinks were more popular in america....

[nakji]

I'm...appalled, I think.

I only like my yogurt mixed with soju

[torakris]

Pepsi white

It wasn't half bad but I had no intentions of drinking it again, which is good because it seems to have disappeared from the shelves already.

[ojisan]

I was curious to see a thread about Japanese yogurt, and wondered - what could it be? Shoyu yogurt? Miso yogurt? Takuan yogurt? After reading the posts, it would seem that it's probably yogurt with certain added flavorings. And so, I'm surprised that more folks in Japan don't make their own yogurt - it's easy to make and you can control what goes into it.

Although you really don't need an appliance, it does make it easier - I've been making my own, using this gadget:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...KX0DER&v=glance

and then straining it to various consistencies using this (somewhat pricey) gadget:

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yog.../ref=pd_sim_k_2

I use a basic starter with no added thickeners (Trader Joe's Greek Style Plain) which has only:

- cultured pasteurized milk, cream and nonfat milk

- s. thermophilus

- l. bulgaricus

- lacidophilus

- bifidus

and I add flavorings afterwards. I use garlic a lot (great for dips) so I guess takuan wouldn't be too weird after all....