Yogurt - the good stuff
I'm in despair over American yogurt. In Europe, regulations state that yogurt must contain a particular percentage of fermented milk product before it can use the name. And the makes all contain a certain amount of milk fat because that's what makes it so delicious. Here, it seems that any old fat-free white solution that may briefly have had a passing acquaintance with a cow and which needs to be solidified by gelatin because all its substance has been removed, can be called yogurt. What is the point of reducing the fat to nil? Better not to eat yogurt at all.
If you want control, make it yourself with whatever milk you like. (See Recipes)
Stonyfield Natural yogurt knows what was what in proper yogurt. It's made from whole milk and has a thin crust of cream on the top. It comes in pint tubs but is hard to find in single container quantities - perhaps it all gets snatched up. From Whole Foods.
Total Greek yogurt is what yogurt is supposed to be. It's getting easier to find these days. Whole Foods stocks it, as do Dean & DeLuca and Trader Joe's. It makes the best tzadziki, a yogurt and garlic dip served on cubes of bread in Greece to eat with sips of ouzo that is also good alongside grilled meats. If you're worried about its fat content, by the Zero version. But so little is satisfying, especially as a breakfast, Greek-style, eaten with a juicy peach or a spoonful of honey, that you need very little. Don't bother with the versions with compartments for honey or jam that you won't find in Greece.
Proper Greek yogurt, I'm told, can be bought at Foods of All Nations, 2121 Ivy Rd, Charlottesville, 434 296-6131, which the eatWashingtonians who alerted me to the place fondly call Junk Food of All Nations. (See separate listing.)
Labneh is a less unctuously fattening substitute, a strained yogurt sold in Middle Eastern groceries. Turkish-style yogurt, another option, is sold at Mount of Olives Market, 3405 Payne St, Falls Church, 703 379 1156.