What is Greek Yoghurt?
Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt.
Like many types, strained yogurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. In Europe and North America, it is often made from low-fat or fat-free cow’s milk. In Iceland, a similar product named skyr is made.
What is Normal Yoghurt?
Normal or Regular yoghurt is similar if the processing technique is taken into consideration. But it differs in the staining mechanism. For preparing a normal yogurt, it is stained only twice. So some portion of the liquid is left over with the solid whey.
Regular yogurt is made by heating milk, adding bacteria, and leaving it to ferment until it reaches an acidic pH of about 4.5. After it cools, other ingredients like fruit may be added. The final product has a smooth consistency but may vary in thickness.
After fermentation, the liquid whey is strained off the solid yogurt. Regular yogurt is strained twice, so there is still some liquid left in the end product. Greek yogurt is strained three times, so most of the liquid is removed. This is what gives Greek yogurt its’ thicker consistency and stronger flavors compared to regular yogurt.
Also Read: Difference Between Yoghurt And Curd
Nutritional value
| SERVING: 1 cup (nonfat) | GREEK | REGULAR |
| Calories | 133 | 137 |
| Total fat (g) | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium (mg) | 81 | 189 |
| Total carb (g) | 8 | 19 |
| Sugars (g) | 7 | 19 |
| Protein (g) | 23 | 14 |
| Calcium (mg) (%DV) | 248 (25%) | 488 (49%) |
| Potassium (mg) (%DV) | 317 (9%) | 625 (18% |
Normal vs Greek Yoghurt In Tabular Form
| GREEK YOGURT | NORMAL YOGURT |
| GREEK is a type of yogurt that has a few difference from that of normal yogurt. It follows the same technique as that of a normal yogurt. For example it is prepared with milk and bacteria cultures. The bacteria helps in fermenting the lactose present in milk to produce lactic acid. The difference in Greek is that after the fermentation process is done, the whey is stained three times to remove all the liquid and use the solid residue as the yogurt | Normal yogurt is similar if the processing technique is taken into consideration. But it differs in the staining mechanism. For preparing a normal yogurt, it is stained only twice. So some portion of the liquid is left over with the solid whey |
| Since all the liquid is stained mostly, it contains high percentage of protein. About 15 to 20 grams of protein is found in a 6 ounce serving of Greek yogurt | Due to the presence of a part of liquid, it contains less protein compared to Greek yogurt. One similar amount of serving contains about 9 grams of protein |
| Greek yogurt shrinks in volume. 1cup of Greek yogurt is produced from 4 cups of milk | Normal yogurt does not reduce much. One cup of normal yogurt is produced from one cup of raw milk |
| Greek yogurt is healthier than normal yogurt as it has less carbohydrate content in it. The amount of carbohydrate present in a serving of Greek yogurt is around 5 to 8grams of carbohydrate | Normal yogurt is a high-carb diet. A serving of normal yogurt contains about 13 to 17 grams of carbohydrate in it |
| Greek yogurt has a less amount of sodium content. It is half the amount found in normal yogurt. A serving of Greek yogurt has about 5 milligrams of sodium in it. Thus it is suitable to avoid heart disorders | Normal yogurt has high content of sodium. It has about 10 milligrams of sodium in it. Thus it is not suitable for any high blood pressure patient or patients with heart disease |
| Greek yogurt also loses calcium content as the liquid in it is stained completely. It has about 20 percent of government recommended calcium content | Normal yogurt on the other hand has a high content of calcium as it has an amount of liquid present in it after staining. It contains about 30 percent of government recommended calcium content |
| Greek yogurt is costlier than normal yogurt as it passes through multiple layers of staining. In spite of its price it is popular as it is healthier and has high nutritive value. The low-fat or fat free version of Greek yogurt is ideal for diet plan | Normal yogurt has a cheaper rate compared to Greek yogurt and has lesser demand than Greek yogurt due to its nutritive contents. Since it is easily available, it is the choice of many people |
| Greek yogurt is tastier than normal yogurt | Normal yogurt is less tasty than Greek yogurt |
| As Greek yogurt is stained multiple times, it is much creamier, thicker and has a solid texture. Moreover it does not curdle so it is preferred more in cooking and makes the recipe a delicious one | Normal yogurt has a thin texture. It is not so much solid in nature and it contains less cream. It has a disadvantage. It has maximum change of curdling when put in heat. So it is difficult to use it for cooking any dish |
| Basically Greek yogurt is the more compact version of normal yogurt that is preferable for food habit as most of the people focus on healthy diet | Normal yogurt is the base of a Greek yogurt |
Also Read: Difference Between Flapjacks And Pancakes
Conclusion
Greek yogurt is made by straining out the extra whey in regular yogurt. It makes a yogurt that’s thicker, creamier and tangier than regular yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt has less sugar and more protein than regular yogurt. But regular yogurt delivers twice the bone-strengthening mineral calcium. Greek yogurt also tends to be more expensive than regular yogurt, because more milk goes into making each cup.
Because Greek yogurt is more “concentrated,” it has more protein than regular yogurt. The protein is left behind in the solid yogurt during the straining process. The whey contains most of the sodium, carbohydrates, and calcium, so Greek yogurts are lower in these nutrients than their regular counterparts.