Live: The Great Yogurt Feud
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What is the Great Yogurt Feud and why is it happening at Little Island?
Today
we're bringing you a special live episode that we recorded recently at Little Island, a small park on a pier in New York. We did a run of three shows there. It was really fun. So many of you showed up to sit in the grass and watch. We had yogurt samples, live singers, and gorgeous weather with a view of the Manhattan skyline. All this to say, you should come see us when we do live shows. It's a good time. So here's the show, which began with our Bulgarian choir taking the
stage. Yubinoto, ros na kitka, yubinoto, ros na kitka, de Mariano,
de...
There are a lot of rivalries in food, right? Coke versus Pepsi, Ruffles versus Lay's. But there are other rivalries in food that no one really knows about because only one side cares. Like, you think Chicago deep dish pizza is laying awake at night worrying about St. Louis style? Probably not. As it turns out, there's a one-sided rivalry like this in the world of yogurt. Let me ask you, if I were to say what country has its yogurt, top to bottom shelf, the whole aisle, where's all the yogurt coming from that everyone wants to eat these days? Greece. That's right, Greece. Greek yogurt, Chobani, Fayet, and a million others. Thick, creamy Greek yogurt seems to be all anyone wants to talk about, right? Lurking in the shadows, shaking its fist at this leviathan of lactose is another country.
Can anyone guess what country that is? It is... Bulgaria, that's right. Now listen to me, Bulgarians are obsessed with yogurt. They have a museum of yogurt. And they are pissed that their neighbors in Greece are getting all the attention. Listen to this guy.
Don't get me started on this one. Because... I have to say this. There's no such a thing as Greek yogurt. It's just a made-up word. So you're saying there's nothing distinctly Greek about Greek yogurt? There's nothing distinct. And nobody can prove me wrong in this. Because it's so obvious.
This is The Sporkful. It's not for foodies. It's for eaters. I'm Dan Pashman. Each week on our show, we obsess about food to learn more about people. And I'm jumping in here with the official intro because we didn't do the official intro at Little Island. It was a different kind of performance. So let's get right back to Little Island. Welcome to a live taping of The Sporkful podcast. Thank you. And we're thrilled to have you here. I want to welcome my friends at Yasna Voices, our Bulgarian choir. Thank you. Some shows have a Greek chorus. We have a Bulgarian chorus. That's right. That's right. I think it's better. Yeah. And I also want to bring on my good friend Eliza Rothstein, audio producer and reporter extraordinaire.
Welcome, Eliza. Hey, Dan. Great to see you. Now, you're the one who told me about Bulgarian yogurt.
I did. I'm obsessed with Bulgarian yogurt. I've been eating it every day for, I think, the last 10 years.
That's commitment. Thank you. So how did you hear about it?
I was put onto it by a friend. I was living in Portland, Oregon at the time. And when I went looking for it, I could find only one brand in one grocery store way in the bottom corner
of the
yogurt
aisle.
And over the years, I've come to really love it. And so I've wondered, if this stuff is so good, why is it so hard to find?
Why
is it that all we see is Greek?
How would you describe the taste?
Sure. So the taste is really unique. It's super sour, super tangy and very tart. But there's something textural as well that I really love. It's really light bodied. Bulgarian yogurt has this refreshing quality that I really enjoy.
Why does Bulgaria claim the true origins of yogurt over Greece?
And am I right? You're so into it. You went to Bulgaria, like on a yogurt research mission.
Yes, yes. I took a yogurt pilgrimage to Bulgaria. This was last year. I was actually in vacation in Greece. Sorry.
But I
traveled north. I took a detour to
Bulgaria. Good evening, my friend! Welcome to our city! Welcome to Bulgaria! I took a Bulgarian rose from you on this beautiful day. Let her tell you her humble voice. For the Balkans, for the sea and for all of us. All of us.
Now, I'm sure everybody here could point to Bulgaria on a map of Europe.
But just in case... We got a map of Europe here.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Great Yogurt Feud and why is it happening at Little Island?
0:01–4:41
2
Why does Bulgaria claim the true origins of yogurt over Greece?
4:41–9:35
3
How did Eliza discover Bulgarian yogurt and why does she love it?
9:35–15:36
4
Where is Bulgaria located and how does its geography influence its yogurt culture?
15:36–20:26
5
What bacteria discovered in Bulgaria made yogurt possible worldwide?
20:26–26:09
6
How did Greek yogurt become dominant in the U.S. market?
26:09–30:23
7
How did Atanas’s in‑store yogurt demo spark interest in Bulgarian yogurt?
30:23–33:37
8
Where does Bulgarian yogurt stand in America today and what are its biggest retailers?
33:37–40:07