Yoghurt is one of Bulgaria’s biggest symbols. The country became famous with this product in far away Japan which manufactures yoghurt under Bulgarian license since 1972. Over 200,000 tons of yoghurt is produced with unique yeast and technology imported though the Bulgarian state company L B Bulgaricum which holds the rights over the bacteria. Today the yoghurt is part of the daily diet of the Japanese people and is often advertised as the Food of Longevity. At the end of the 19th century renowned Russian scientist Ilya Mechnikov found out that Bulgaria had so many centenarians, because people were mainly eating yogurt and he strongly recommended it as a food which slows down ageing.

The Japanese people are quite curious and studious and it is no surprise how quickly they learnt about the Festival of Bulgarian Yoghurt shortly after they got acquainted with the Festival of the Bulgarian Oil Yielding Rose held in the town of Kazanlak.

The Yoghurt Festival is traditionally held in the town of Trun (western Bulgaria) and the neighboring villages which are somehow linked with the history of the Bulgarian yoghurt. One of these villages is Studen Izvor where Doctor Stamen Grigorov, the microbiology expert who discovered the sour dairy bacteria Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, was born. Stamen Grigorov made this country famous worldwide with his scientific work.

Yulia Grigorova who is the President of Dr Stamen Grigorov foundation and one of the organizers of the Yogurt Festival told Radio Bulgaria about this year’sedition:

“The festival aims at promoting homemade yoghurt and dairy products and making a comparison between them and the factory-made products. For the purpose, a contest for best milk and dairy products is held at the farmers’ homes. Mostly farmers from Trun municipality take part in the event and this year their number was bigger. Our goal is to expand the perimeter of the event in the future and include other towns and villages. We would like to turn the yoghurt festival into a national festival. The contest is held for various types of dairy products – sheep milk, goat milk, cow milk, fresh white brine cheese and yellow cheese. Of course, the farmers always come up with surprises at the festival. On the other hand, the Bulgarian Association of Dairy Producers has also organized tasting of products manufactured by the biggest dairy companies in Bulgaria who also present their products. ”

What is the distinguishing feature of the Bulgarian yoghurt and what makes it different to the yoghurt produced worldwide?

“Bulgarian yoghurt must contain a particular quantity of the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus bacteria - over 8 million bacteria per 1 cubic centimeter of product. For example the test we made with yoghurt produced in the region of Trun showed that it contains over 14 million bacteria per 1 cubic centimeter of yoghurt. Everyone already knows that the acidity of the Bulgarian yogurt is caused by the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus bacteria and all Bulgarians are used to this specific taste, whereas in other countries in Western Europe people prefer to consume sweetened yoghurt. By the way, I would like to add that the commission which evaluates the quality of the dairy products during the Yoghurt Festival is part of the Research Center with the LB Bulgaricum who estimate professionally the quality of the given milk and dairy items.”

The representatives of Dr Stamen Grigorov foundation are planning to initiate new events, in order to promote the Bulgarian yoghurt and its original taste as a typical Bulgarian product. They develop a milk and dairy eco route together with Serbian colleagues on both sides of the Bulgarian-Serbian border. The route will start from the Yogurt Museum in the village of Studen Kladenets and is to cross Bulgarian and Serbian dairy farms where visitors will have the opportunity to taste the local products. The eco route will end in the Serbian city of Niš where in October, 2014 Bulgarian farmers will participate at the Serbian Cheese Festival organized by Cheese South Association which is an official partner of Dr Stamen Grigorov Bulgarian foundation.”