Have you ever heard about people eating rice mixed with yogurt?

“Many Indians eat yogurt mixed with rice. I saw it with my own eyes when I visited India three years ago. They normally eat it during lunch and dinner, mostly at the end of their meal,” Suhartini, a housewife from West Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Is it strange to eat yogurt with rice? We normally mix yogurt with fruits, salads sauces and juices, not with rice.

“It is normal for Indians. If we go to an Indian restaurant, you will find a dish called curry rice on the menu,” Suhartini, who likes Indian food, said.

Why is yogurt commonly found in Indian cuisine?

The answer to this question is very simple. Yogurt is delicious and contains protein, calcium, vitamins and fat. It is easy to make at home. It has so many health benefits.

“I eat yogurt every day during my meals. Yogurt digests food nicely and helps me to have a nice sleep,” Kadari Somaiah, a resident of Nalgonda in Telengana, India, told the Post through telephone.

Do Indonesians like to eat yogurt?

Unfortunately, many Indonesians do not like not only yogurt but also milk from where yogurt comes from.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesians consume just 16.23 liters of milk annually per capita, much lower than in many countries.

“Consumption of milk in our country is relatively low compared to other countries,” Agriculture Ministry director general of animal husbandry and animal health I Ketut Diarmita told the journalists recently in Jakarta.

Many Indonesians do not know much about yogurt. The consumption of yogurt in Indonesia was very low until the late 1990s.

“You would not believe that I had never heard the word yogurt until I came to Jakarta in 2002,” Sandra Dewi, a bank employee from Klaten, Central Java, said.

Thanks to changing lifestyles in the 21st century, Indonesians are now slowly showing some interest in yogurt.

We have to boost our immunity by consuming healthy foods and drinks, especially at this difficult time, with the COVID-19 pandemic. Yogurt is one of the best options because it is easy to make at home and rich in many healthy things.     

What is yogurt?

Nobody knows the exact origins of yogurt but it has been known to man for thousands of years. Some scholars believe that yogurt was invented in Mesopotamia at around 5000 BC. It was mentioned in ancient Indian records that gods used to consume yogurt mixed with honey. That is why yogurt plus honey is sometimes called “the food of the gods”.

Yogurt is basically a dairy product, made through fermenting milk with yogurt culture. 

We always think negatively about various types of bacteria. But there are some types of bacteria that are good. Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a microorganism and a type of probiotic, is one of those types of good bacteria that is used to ferment yogurt. Another bacteria that is used in fermenting yogurt is Streptococcus thermophiles, a probiotic.   

“Probiotics are good and healthy types of bacteria. They help our stomach by regulating our digestive system and reducing gas, diarrhea, constipation and bloating,” Sanjeevini Pertiwi, who studied biomedicine, told the Post.   

“Probiotics can also boost our immune system, help with weight management and even reduce the risk of cancer.”

Doctors say consumption of yogurt regularly enhances absorption of vitamins and minerals in our bodies.

Added value: Yogurt can be used in fruit or vegetable salads as it adds nutritious value to these dishes. Consume yogurt every day to stay healthy. (Shutterstock/Baibaz)

More benefits

According to Sanjeevini, yogurt contains vitamin B6, vitamin B12, riboflalavin, calcium, potassium and magnesium.

“Yogurt also prevents heart disease and works as an antioxidant. It has conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a nutrient that reduces fat in our bodies and decreases the risk of breast cancer in women. It also protects us from osteoporosis,” Sanjeevini said.

Some medical studies show that yogurt can even prevent diabetes.

According to the medicalnewstoday.com, researchers found in 2014 that consumption of yogurt daily can protect us from type 2 diabetes.

Sanjeevini said that yoghurt had less lactose as the lactose in milk was already used in the fermentation of yogurt.

Yogurt is widely used in Indian cuisine and other cuisines in the world. It adds color and a nice taste to many dishes.

How can we make yogurt?

The advantage of making yogurt is that it needs only two things: milk and yogurt culture.

Just go to a supermarket buy some fresh milk and a small bottle or can of plain yogurt.

First boil the milk and cool it down to a mild warm level. Then add two or three spoons of yogurt to the milk. Leave it for 10 to 12 hours and the yogurt is ready due to the fermentation.

“It is so simple to make it. Normally, I make it the night before I sleep,” Suhartini said.

Yogurt comes in many types. There is fat, nonfat, frozen, Greek and many types of yogurts.

Go for the natural and low-fat yogurts. Do not consume yogurts that are mixed with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

One may ask: How many cups of yogurt do we have to consume every day?

The United States of Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends three cups of yogurt per day for anyone over the age of 9 years old.  

So what are you waiting for?

Make your own yogurt at home daily and consume during breakfast, lunch and dinner to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.