I love Estonian yoghurt

Juhan Särgava – Head of Saidafarm OÜ

When I tasted Estonian yoghurt for the first time some twenty years ago, I did not appreciate it very much. However, as I have specialised on manufacturing dairy products, now the vanilla yoghurt made of pure cow milk has become my indisputable favourite food.

In my opinion, yoghurt is special due to the fact that the bacteria it contains make it friendly for digestion, which is also useful for the people, who are sensitive to milk or have not consumed it for a long time. Bacteria turn lactose into other nutrients, useful and necessary for us. Yoghurt is also rich in calcium and also contains milk protein necessary for human body. Yoghurt and lactic bacteria added into it have been studied and developed by research institutes in Estonia and abroad, therefore several products have also been enriched with various useful additives and vitamins.

Yoghurt is a praiseworthy food, which can be prepared also at home, if the right bacteria are available. Therefore its production is feasible also for starting dairy specialists, who are taking the first steps to bring delicious dairy products to the market. Yoghurt counters of Estonian shops, with hundreds of yoghurts with various tastes, are richer than yoghurt range of the stores of most countries in the world. 

Although we can find yoghurts with the flavour of raspberry, strawberry, banana, sea-buckthorn and other fruits in the stores, I still get back to the most original natural vanilla yoghurt flavoured with an organic vanilla pod, which contains no preservative, starch, milk powder or any other characteristic contemporary additives. In my opinion, this is the genuine Estonian taste. I like yoghurt as separate food for breakfast or day meal, as an ingredient in various bakery products, as well as nice light dessert after rich dinner.