Fermented Milk (aka, Yogurt) in China

Fro-yo girl here. During a recent layover at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, I spotted some local Chinese yogurt products. I noticed that they call yogurt fermented milk on the packaging. Some of the yogurt products looked like drinks and others were served in cups.

The fermented milk at Starbucks seemed like a safe choice and I could read the packaging.

* Granola & flavored fermented milk mixed strawberry flavor (20 yuan, approximately $3.15 US dollars): The packaging looked nice. The granola was packaged separately and stored in a clear compartment above the cup of yogurt. The yogurt didn’t look pink/strawberry flavored but there were strawberry chunks in the white yogurt. The texture was creamy but not as thick as Greek yogurt. It must not have been strained? The yogurt was tangy but not very tangy. The strawberry flavor wasn’t strong since there only some strawberry pieces. It was different than what we have in the US but still pretty good. It seems to have live and active cultures.

Milk was very expensive and rationed in China before the 1980s. Therefore, milk consumption was very low. Soy milk was consumed instead.

However, dairy milk consumption is on the rise in China and China is now the third largest producer of milk in the world. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that Chinese increase their dairy consumption, so there is growing interesting in cheese, milk, and yogurt. Yogurt sales recently overtook milk sales in the country. Prices of milk and dairy products are still high but milk and dairy products are perceived as healthy.

Ethnic minorities in Mongolia and the surrounding areas have been fermenting milk since ancient times. The dairy milk was obtained from mares, sheep, yaks, camels, and goats. Beijing yogurt is a traditional fermented milk drink made by heating milk and adding sugar to it. I’ve had Beijing yogurt in the US, where you can find more than one brand in Chinese supermarkets. 

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.