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Yogurt Culture: A Global Look at How to Make, Bake, Sip, and Chill the World's Creamiest, Healthiest Food
“Part cookbook, part guide, and 100% inspiring . . . Yogurt Culture will make you fall in love with the tart and creamy stuff anew . . .”—Paste.com Long celebrated as a versatile ingredient in cuisines across the globe, yogurt has recently emerged as a food of nearly unparalleled growth here in the United States. The time has come for a modern, far-ranging cookbook devoted to its untapped culinary uses. In Yogurt Culture, award-winning food writer Cheryl Sternman Rule presents 115 flavorful recipes, taking yogurt farther than the breakfast table, lunchbox, or gym bag. Rule strips yogurt of its premixed accessories and brings it back to its pure, wholesome essence. In chapters like Flavor, Slurp, Dine, and Lick, she pairs yogurt not just with fruit but with meat, not just with sugar but with salt, not just with herbs but with fragrant spices whose provenance spans the globe. She provides foolproof, step-by-step instructions for how to make yogurt, Greek yogurt, and labneh at home, though all of her recipes can also be prepared with commercial yogurt. Rule explores yogurt from every angle, explaining how to read a label, visiting producers large and small, and gaining entry to the kitchens of cooks from around the world. Deeply researched and peppered with stories, interviews, and full-color photographs, Yogurt Culture offers a fresh, comprehensive take on a beloved food. “The most accessible and complete guide . . . Her book made homemade yogurt seem not only easy, but also kind of essential.”—The New York Times “A global smorgasbord of tempting recipes.”—NPR.org “A worldwide, whirlwind tour of the versatile ingredient.”—The Seattle Times
539 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2015
45 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Sternman Rule
7 books6 followersCheryl Sternman Rule has been writing professionally for newspapers, magazines, and websites since 2004. She is the voice behind the award-winning food blog 5 Second Rule (http://5secondrule.typepad.com), which has been online since 2008 and enjoys an enthusiastic following.
Cheryl has written two cookbooks. Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables was published by Running Press in 2012. Yogurt Culture will be published by Rux Martin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April 2015. She also founded the website Team Yogurt (http://www.teamyogurt.com/).
Cheryl’s work has appeared in Women's Health, Cooking Light, Sunset, Body + Soul, Health, Vegetarian Times, Restaurants & Institutions, the San Jose Mercury News, Edible Silicon Valley,The Kitchn, and Serious Eats; and in several books published by the American Heart Association and the EatingWell Media Group. Cheryl also served as a contributing editor at EatingWell Magazine, a daily food news blogger at iVillage, and a columnist at Recipe.com.
In 2014, Cheryl won Saveur's Best Food Blog Award in the Writing / Readers' Choice category. In 2012, she won the IACP New Media & Broadcast Award for outstanding Culinary Blog. In 2008, she won the Greenbrier Award given by the Symposium for Professional Food Writers.
A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Cheryl has worked in a commercial bakery and served as both a professional recipe tester and developer.
Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College and a Master’s degree in education from Harvard University. Prior to joining the culinary field, she worked as a researcher at Harvard, where she co-authored a three-part book series on higher education. She also spent two years working for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC and two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eritrea, East Africa.
Cheryl lives with her husband and two sons in Silicon Valley.
Cheryl has written two cookbooks. Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables was published by Running Press in 2012. Yogurt Culture will be published by Rux Martin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April 2015. She also founded the website Team Yogurt (http://www.teamyogurt.com/).
Cheryl’s work has appeared in Women's Health, Cooking Light, Sunset, Body + Soul, Health, Vegetarian Times, Restaurants & Institutions, the San Jose Mercury News, Edible Silicon Valley,The Kitchn, and Serious Eats; and in several books published by the American Heart Association and the EatingWell Media Group. Cheryl also served as a contributing editor at EatingWell Magazine, a daily food news blogger at iVillage, and a columnist at Recipe.com.
In 2014, Cheryl won Saveur's Best Food Blog Award in the Writing / Readers' Choice category. In 2012, she won the IACP New Media & Broadcast Award for outstanding Culinary Blog. In 2008, she won the Greenbrier Award given by the Symposium for Professional Food Writers.
A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Cheryl has worked in a commercial bakery and served as both a professional recipe tester and developer.
Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College and a Master’s degree in education from Harvard University. Prior to joining the culinary field, she worked as a researcher at Harvard, where she co-authored a three-part book series on higher education. She also spent two years working for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC and two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eritrea, East Africa.
Cheryl lives with her husband and two sons in Silicon Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 11, 2015
Very nice history of yogurt followed by many recipes. It's nice that you can use homemade yogurt or store bought. There are recipes (and troubleshooting) for making your own yogurt, Greek yogurt, and yogurt cheese, too. I loved that she also had ideas with what to do with the whey after you've made Greek yogurt. The main body of the book is recipes to enhance your yogurt, or recipes that use yogurt in them. They range from breakfast to appetizers, dinner, and desserts, including some smoothies and panna cotta and frozen yogurt. The recipes look simple and the pictures of them will make your mouth water!
May 19, 2015
As a longtime fan of yogurt, I've tried many of the store brands of flavored yogurts, but have only recently begun exploring the possibilities of cooking with plain yogurt for sweet and savory dishes. "Yogurt Culture" has so many wonderful recipes that I would never have thought to make on my own. So far, Burnt Sugar-Apricot Halves, Middle Eastern Eggplant Casserole (Fatet Makdous), and Lamb Kefte Sandwiches with Middle Eastern Yogurt Salad are a few favorites--and Eritrean Spicy Tomato Bread Salad with Yogurt (Fata) is on the menu this week. The recipes have all been very easy to follow, and the results have been completely delicious.
With a toddler who also loves yogurt, it's important to me to keep unnecessary sugar out of his diet, but sorting through the range of supermarket yogurts can be daunting. Cheryl Sternman Rule provides a helpful guide of what to look for in a store-bought yogurt, and I feel more confident in my choices now. My little guy has also enthusiastically scarfed down all of the meals we've tried from Yogurt Culture.
I've also really enjoyed Rule's stories of traveling to various countries and learning the locals' methods of yogurt-making and favorite dishes. The anecdotes make the book come alive, and are a great accompaniment to the recipes.
I highly recommend this book, and can't wait to try more of the recipes.
With a toddler who also loves yogurt, it's important to me to keep unnecessary sugar out of his diet, but sorting through the range of supermarket yogurts can be daunting. Cheryl Sternman Rule provides a helpful guide of what to look for in a store-bought yogurt, and I feel more confident in my choices now. My little guy has also enthusiastically scarfed down all of the meals we've tried from Yogurt Culture.
I've also really enjoyed Rule's stories of traveling to various countries and learning the locals' methods of yogurt-making and favorite dishes. The anecdotes make the book come alive, and are a great accompaniment to the recipes.
I highly recommend this book, and can't wait to try more of the recipes.
July 4, 2015
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a first rate chef, or a novice cook, this is an easy to follow, beautifully written and photographed 115 recipe cookbook.
According to the author it strips yogurt of its premixed accessories, bringing it back to what it used to be, “A tart creamy ingredient beautifully pure in its own right, one that can be paired not just with mean, not just with sugar but with salt, not just alone but in combination with hearty grains, crunchy vegetables, protein-rich legumes, intense chocolate, fresh squeezed juices, endless herbs, and exotic spices whose provenance spans the globe.” That explanation in itself should be enough incentive to go out and purchase the book. But if not, Cheryl has generously shared a recipe to try out. It’s a cool bold pool of yogurty yum. Enjoy!
Follow the link to view this wonderful recipe Greek Yogurt with Lemon Vinaigrette http://www.examiner.com/review/greek-...
According to the author it strips yogurt of its premixed accessories, bringing it back to what it used to be, “A tart creamy ingredient beautifully pure in its own right, one that can be paired not just with mean, not just with sugar but with salt, not just alone but in combination with hearty grains, crunchy vegetables, protein-rich legumes, intense chocolate, fresh squeezed juices, endless herbs, and exotic spices whose provenance spans the globe.” That explanation in itself should be enough incentive to go out and purchase the book. But if not, Cheryl has generously shared a recipe to try out. It’s a cool bold pool of yogurty yum. Enjoy!
Follow the link to view this wonderful recipe Greek Yogurt with Lemon Vinaigrette http://www.examiner.com/review/greek-...
April 13, 2018
I'm admittedly harder on cookbooks than other kinds of books. For them to get three or more stars, they have to fulfill the following requirements:
1. Function. Is the font, layout, paper choice, binding, etc. conducive to take the book into my kitchen and cooking from it. This isn't as obvious as it sounds. I can think of two wonderful recipe collections that failed the test: the first because it was huge, weighed a ton, but had microscopic font; the second failed because the damn thing would not lay flat and all the ingredients lists were in all caps with very little space between the lines. It was like trying to read hieroglyphics.
2. Reliability. Is there a reasonably expectation that a home cook can replicate the recipes in a home kitchen and obtain 90% of the required ingredients in the average mid-size town grocery store? If not, it's just a coffee table food porn book. Nothing wrong with those, but they aren't cookbooks in the literal sense. More importantly, are the recipes clear, concise, in logical order, and, for the love of all that is edible, have the damn things been proofread for errors?
3. Interest. Are the recipes something I would make? Not something I might want to eat if someone else made them, but something I will bother to make myself and make more than once? Are they unique? Do I stand a chance of learning something new if I make them?
Based on all that, I'd have given this book a 3.0 except for that last point. The format is pretty good. I didn't like some of the layout choices, but they weren't deal breakers. I didn't make any of the recipes (more on that later), but they looked like they could be replicated by the average cook, and I didn't see any obvious errors. I think some of the ingredients might be hard to find unless one lived in either a larger city or one rich with ethnic markets, so it probably wouldn't pass the "middle America accessibility test" too well. It's my third requirement, however, where I felt the book fell short. I just didn't see that much in it that made me want to get up and start cooking. The recipe selection felt padded, for example, if you can make one lassi and you pretty much have the process for making other flavors without needing a whole separate recipe for each flavor. The most interesting and informative parts of the book, which was the role and history of yogurts in various food cultures, was scattered throughout the book in shadowed boxes, almost as if it were an afterthought. Given it was that whole damn reason I wanted to read the book, I was disappointed in how it was presented. Also disappointing were the instructions for making yogurt, which are tucked in the very back of the book and no more informative or detailed than what one could find on any of a thousand websites. The whole point of the book was yogurt, so why put the making of it in what's essentially the "cookbook basement"?
In conclusion, it's not bod, it's just not all that interesting or informative.
1. Function. Is the font, layout, paper choice, binding, etc. conducive to take the book into my kitchen and cooking from it. This isn't as obvious as it sounds. I can think of two wonderful recipe collections that failed the test: the first because it was huge, weighed a ton, but had microscopic font; the second failed because the damn thing would not lay flat and all the ingredients lists were in all caps with very little space between the lines. It was like trying to read hieroglyphics.
2. Reliability. Is there a reasonably expectation that a home cook can replicate the recipes in a home kitchen and obtain 90% of the required ingredients in the average mid-size town grocery store? If not, it's just a coffee table food porn book. Nothing wrong with those, but they aren't cookbooks in the literal sense. More importantly, are the recipes clear, concise, in logical order, and, for the love of all that is edible, have the damn things been proofread for errors?
3. Interest. Are the recipes something I would make? Not something I might want to eat if someone else made them, but something I will bother to make myself and make more than once? Are they unique? Do I stand a chance of learning something new if I make them?
Based on all that, I'd have given this book a 3.0 except for that last point. The format is pretty good. I didn't like some of the layout choices, but they weren't deal breakers. I didn't make any of the recipes (more on that later), but they looked like they could be replicated by the average cook, and I didn't see any obvious errors. I think some of the ingredients might be hard to find unless one lived in either a larger city or one rich with ethnic markets, so it probably wouldn't pass the "middle America accessibility test" too well. It's my third requirement, however, where I felt the book fell short. I just didn't see that much in it that made me want to get up and start cooking. The recipe selection felt padded, for example, if you can make one lassi and you pretty much have the process for making other flavors without needing a whole separate recipe for each flavor. The most interesting and informative parts of the book, which was the role and history of yogurts in various food cultures, was scattered throughout the book in shadowed boxes, almost as if it were an afterthought. Given it was that whole damn reason I wanted to read the book, I was disappointed in how it was presented. Also disappointing were the instructions for making yogurt, which are tucked in the very back of the book and no more informative or detailed than what one could find on any of a thousand websites. The whole point of the book was yogurt, so why put the making of it in what's essentially the "cookbook basement"?
In conclusion, it's not bod, it's just not all that interesting or informative.
October 14, 2022
Beautifully written, with recipes that shake you out of your yogurt-and-fruit (or in my case, yogurt-and-honey) habit. What a joy to discover ways to eat and cook with yogurt that I would have never considered. Cheryl covers both sweet and savory, and also takes the reader on a journey and around the world with the history and regional uses of yogurt.
There's a section on how to make your own yogurt, but all of the recipes work great with store-bought as well. And many of the recipes that don't involve cooking the yogurt will work with non-dairy varieties as well.
The recipes are inventive, well-written and won't take all day. Everything I've made is delicious. Not only that, but Cheryl has also founded Team Yogurt, an online community with maker profiles and additional recipes. I love to see an author that is so enthusiastic about her subject, and that continues to provide ways for her readers to reach out and learn more.
There's a section on how to make your own yogurt, but all of the recipes work great with store-bought as well. And many of the recipes that don't involve cooking the yogurt will work with non-dairy varieties as well.
The recipes are inventive, well-written and won't take all day. Everything I've made is delicious. Not only that, but Cheryl has also founded Team Yogurt, an online community with maker profiles and additional recipes. I love to see an author that is so enthusiastic about her subject, and that continues to provide ways for her readers to reach out and learn more.
February 8, 2016
As an active fermenter, I was expecting a book entitled "Yogurt Cultures" to focus on the science the of dairy fermentation and strategies for making the best homemade yogurt in a variety of ways. Yogurt-making and the microbiology of yogurt are not the primary topics of this book. There are excellent recipes for homemade yogurt, but they occupy only a small section at the end of the book.
Once I got over that expectation, I fell in complete and total love with Yogurt Cultures. This book is built around the cultural significance of yogurt around the world and excellent, stellar, winning, perfect and creative (I need more superlatives to describe how much I love them) recipes. It shows on every page that Sternman-Rule is both an award-winning author and a classically-trained chef.
I have now spent months reading every word and working through at least a dozen recipes. There are no fails here. It's a yogurt love story and it has earned my love in return.
Once I got over that expectation, I fell in complete and total love with Yogurt Cultures. This book is built around the cultural significance of yogurt around the world and excellent, stellar, winning, perfect and creative (I need more superlatives to describe how much I love them) recipes. It shows on every page that Sternman-Rule is both an award-winning author and a classically-trained chef.
I have now spent months reading every word and working through at least a dozen recipes. There are no fails here. It's a yogurt love story and it has earned my love in return.
October 22, 2015
Recipes were creative but some seemed pushed to fill out the book. Yogurt making instructions were very basic, like a blog post. Lacked instructions for making vegan yogurt at home. Also didn't acknowledge the existence of plug-in yogurt incubators which I thought was very strange, they're not necessary but make things easier.
February 5, 2016
The Labneh-Stuffed Peppers with Feta and Pistachio sounds delicious. I'm obsessed lately with stuffed peppers. Had never heard of Labneh cheese, sounds good, just don't know if it is available in regular markets (book says check out at Middle Eastern markets).
March 17, 2016
I've been making yogurt for years based on a recipe that I found on the internet. This book provides great information on the history, different kinds of yogurt and interesting recipes that incorporate yogurt into them. Well done.
September 16, 2017
Some great recipes here. I've saved quite a few- if they taste as good as they sound, I may purchase this book instead of using my library's copy.
I wish the author had discussed automatic yogurt makers, which is how I make my yogurt.
I wish the author had discussed automatic yogurt makers, which is how I make my yogurt.
June 20, 2015
Not only great recipes but great info about the culture and history of yoghurt.
July 14, 2015
While I loved the historical backgrounds for the yogurts of various cultures, I found the recipes a bit too fussy for my taste...and not exactly the healthiest, either.
July 26, 2015
Very useful but not for me. I need stronger type-set and less details.
October 20, 2015
A fun book about yogurt and the cultures from which it came and how it used worldwide. Really nice recipe book and good photos, too.
March 28, 2016
Maybe 2.5 stars. There weren't a lot of recipes here that were going to make it into my rotation (and we make our own yogurt), but I appreciate the effort.
April 10, 2016
I want all the food
June 6, 2018
Loved reading this book, haven't loved cooking from it as much.
August 21, 2025
Cheryl Sternman Rule does a fantastic job in exploring yogurt's irreplaceable role in cultures all over the world, too often overshadowed by "Greek" yogurt following its recent North American commercial boom. Prior to reading this book, I'd only had the vaguest idea of the ways it was prepared and enjoyed globally, and it's no exaggeration to say that all I learned in these pages has only served to further deepen my appreciation for this wonderful food.
My only concern is that some of the best nuggets of information are tucked away between recipes, making them more likely to be overlooked by the casual reader -- just something to keep in mind for those planning on giving this one a read.
Nevertheless, there's something to be gained for both long-time yogurt fans and newbies alike from Yogurt Culture -- I highly recommend!
My only concern is that some of the best nuggets of information are tucked away between recipes, making them more likely to be overlooked by the casual reader -- just something to keep in mind for those planning on giving this one a read.
Nevertheless, there's something to be gained for both long-time yogurt fans and newbies alike from Yogurt Culture -- I highly recommend!
December 31, 2022
3.5. I thought it would have more on the process of making yogurt at home (there is one recipe at the back - I just thought there'd maybe be variations for sweetening, flavoring, etc.). Instead it is recipes that use yogurt and history of / cultural notes about yogurt. The recipes look interesting. They've definitely got a global flair, so they're not your typical flavors. I bookmarked quite a few to try.
September 1, 2015
I've just started making homemade yogurt and immediately found this book very informative. She has some great tips for making yogurt, that I'm excited to try in my next batch. The photographs are stunning and the writing is great. So much more than a recipe book - this book is very interesting to read about the global history of yogurt, the current yogurt popularity in the US and the yogurt industry in general. I like how honest the author is about her own intentions to make yogurt after leaving the Peace Corp and then totally failing to do so for years, and how she has nothing against adding sweeteners to yogurt, or using store-bought brands. Some books like this are very extreme, but she writes with a pretty inclusive tone. I'm glad this book was recommended to me - I can't wait to broaden my horizons by adding yogurt to all sorts of dishes!
November 19, 2023
Pretty good. Wish I’d photocopied some recipes. Gave me great ideas at versatile use.
May 5, 2017
Wow! Knew that there are so many usage of Yogurt, in various cultures around the world. But this book helps with many more exciting ways to use and consume it. I grew up just eating plain yogurt or in the form of Indian Lassi, Chaas (buttermilk like), and Raita.
Very well written, recipes are clear and to the mark, as I have tried few of them personally. I have been improvising it in many different ways now for a quick snack or an accompaniment to the main dish.
Very well written, recipes are clear and to the mark, as I have tried few of them personally. I have been improvising it in many different ways now for a quick snack or an accompaniment to the main dish.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews