The answer is simple – simple and healthy food… What is special about eating in Bulgaria? Of course, "kiselo mlyako", or in the modern reading "yogurt".

There are two theories about the appearance of Bulgarian yoghurt.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococus thermophilus (the only streptococcal bacterium harmless to humans), these are essentially "wild" bacteria, i.e. they live freely in nature, with the help of which the miraculous and so beloved product "Kiselo mlyako" is born.

Scientists have found these bacteria on plants, animals and in some anthills. Experiments were carried out with a wooden stick, which was placed for a certain time in a termite mound in the Eastern Rhodopes. After that, it was dipped in fresh milk and after a few hours it turned into real Bulgarian yoghurt.

One theory has to do with the Thracians, who bred many animals and accidentally discovered the process. Of course, with the participation of an innocent shepherd who carried milk in a goat's stomach bladder, or a lazy housewife who forgot the milk she had just milked near the hearth and in the morning was surprised to find that it had turned into a thick, tasty, slightly sour cream. After The same lazy woman did not wash the dish in which she kept sour milk, but poured more unleavened milk into it, and the next day – oh, a miracle! – there was a delicious substance again, which, in addition, lasted longer. Its medicinal properties were quickly discovered, so in a short time this product turned into the main component of the daily diet of the inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula.

Another theory says that the technology was brought by the Proto-Bulgarians. The bacterium is local, but the technology jumped under the fluttering horse tail of the Proto-Bulgarians, along with the notorious lactic acid drink kumys, which they made from mare's milk. After they inhabited our lands and realized that they could breed animals other than horses, they began to ferment sheep, goat and cow milk.

The first written evidence of Bulgarian yoghurt appeared in the VIII century with its Turkish name "yogurt".

In Bulgarian yoghurt became known in Western Europe due to the severe incurable diarrhea of the French king François I (1514 – 1547). So, "Majesty" complained to his colleague and temporary ally, the Turkish Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent (1520 – 1566), that he sat on a chair with a hole all day long, instead of dealing with state affairs and that all his doctors could not help him at all. The Turkish sultan took pity on him and sent him one of his personal doctors, an Armenian whose name history has undeservedly forgotten. The doctor put the king on a strict diet of Bulgarian yoghurt and cured him in a short time. François I was so impressed by the magical properties of this new and unfamiliar product that he began to advertise it widely.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a boom in scientific research. One of the most famous institutes in the world became "Louis Pasteur" in France. Among the hundreds of scientists who work there is the Russian biologist Ilya Mechnikov, who in 1905 became deputy director of the institute. He began serious research on longevity and the causes of aging. According to his theory, aging is a disease that is rooted in a person's lifestyle and, more specifically, in the foods he eats. To confirm his theory and isolate the foods that lead to longevity, Metchnikoff is conducting a study on the life expectancy of people in 36 countries. Imagine his surprise when he found out that in Bulgaria most of the inhabitants are over 87-100 years old. There is nothing left – to find the answer to the question "Why?"

Around the same time, another great man, the Bulgarian Stamen Grigorov, worked and studied in Geneva. Dr. Stamen Grigorov was born in the village of Studen Izvor, Tran district. He studied natural sciences in Montpellier and graduated medicine in Geneva. The boy is poor, but talented. Relatives from Bulgaria help him as much as they can, most of all with food. Among them, there are invariably several cans of Bulgarian yoghurt. Dr. Grigorov tried to ferment yoghurt in Geneva, but after several successful experiments, failure always followed. The starter seems to "die" and can no longer turn unleavened milk into sour. This arouses the curiosity of the young scientist, and he decides to investigate in detail the content of the problematic substance.

Thus, in 1905, Dr. Stamen Grigorov made the discovery that one rod and one spherical bacteria led to the appearance of Bulgarian yoghurt. Its discovery is of great interest to the scientific community. Dr. Ilya Mechnikov decided to confirm the results of Stamen Grigorov. After it becomes clear that the Bulgarian has made a real discovery, Dr. Metchnikoff finally finds the answer to his question: "Why do Bulgarians live so long?"

And he creates his own theory of aging. The international scientific community expresses its respect for the work of the Bulgarian and his nationality by naming one of the bacteria "Lactobacillus delbureckii subsp. bulgaricus Grigoroff 1905". Dr. Grigorov relinquishes many senior positions and returns to Bulgaria, where he is working on the development of a tuberculosis vaccine. And Dr. Metchnikoff was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1908.

Regardless of the historical cataclysms in Europe, in the whirlwind of endless disputes about the claim and origin of Bulgarian yoghurt, the most surprising thing is that it defends itself better than anyone else. For years in a row, dozens of laboratories around the world have been trying to make Lactobacillus bulgaricus feel at home and develop in their conditions. The Japanese are especially stubborn and insistent in this regard, who love this product.

But this stubborn and hard-headed chauvinist does not want to emigrate and live in conditions other than his homeland.

IC "Window to Bulgaria"
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