Made for centuries in the Balkans, Turkey and Asia, yogurt appeared briefly in France during the reign of françois I: a Jewish doctor from Constantinople treated the king's intestinal trouble with yogurt, but latter returned to the East with the secret of its preparation. The product only really caught on after World War I, when Greek and Georgian immigrants started serving it in their restaurants or producing it on a small scale for local dairymen.

Yogurt (both the product and the word) is of Turkish origin, Although many French dictionaries give the French yaourt as derived from the Belgarian jaurt. However, the product is also traditional in India, Aribic countries, central Asia and countries of the former Ottoman Empire, whose people attribute to it their health and longevity. Authentic Turkish yogurt is quite different from the yogurt with which we are familiar: the milk of the cow, ewe, or buffalo (the latter, according to connoisseurs, gives a denser and better tasting product) is boiled until reduced by about one third, then poured into a leather bottle or terrotta jar and left to ferment naturally.

Today, a multitude of brands and flavours are produced industrially. Yogurt may also be made at home with an electric yogurt maker or simply using an insulated vessel and a thermometer. It is slightly laxative, easily digested and replenishes the intestinal flora. A great variety of coloured and flavoured yogurts, often containing fruit, are also available. In France, a "Bulgarian flavour" yogurt, of a creamy consistency, is also produced.

In Europe, yogurts are usually eaten as a dessert or for breakfast; plain yogurt is often sweetened with suagr with sugar, honey, jam, or fresh or dried fruit. In the kitchen, yogurt is used to prepare refreshing drinks, cold or iced desserts and sauces, instead of fresh cream (in this case, it may be stabilized with a little potato flour if it is to be cooked, as in soups, ragouts, gratins, stuffings, etc.).