Scientists reveal truth behind vanishing tradition of making yoghurt with ants
Scientists have recreated a nearly forgotten yoghurt-making tradition using a key ingredient: ants.
"Today's yogurts are typically made with just two bacterial strains," study senior author Leonie Jahn from the Technical University of Denmark said.
"If you look at traditional yogurt, you have much bigger biodiversity, varying based on location, households, and season. That brings more flavours, textures, and personality."
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Four live forest ants in a warm jar of milk. David Zilber
The research, published in the Cell Press journal iScience, showed that bacteria, acids, and enzymes in ants can kick-start the fermentation process that turns milk into yoghurt.
It's a practice that was once common in the Balkans and Turkey, the scientists say.
In their research, they visited the village where the family of study co-author and anthropologist Sevi Mutlu Sirakova lives in Bulgaria. Her relatives still remember the tradition.
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A jar of milk incubating in a red wood ant colony. David Zilber
"We dropped four whole ants into a jar of warm milk by the instruction of Sevgi's uncle and community members," lead author Veronica Sinotte of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, said.
The jar was then tucked into an ant mound to ferment overnight. By the next day, the milk had started to thicken and sour.
"That's an early stage of yogurt, and it tasted that way as well," Sinotte said.
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Researchers tasting ant yogurt. David Zilber
The researchers, who tested the yogurt during their trip, described it as slightly tangy, herbaceous, and having flavours of grass-fed fat.
They found that live ants, as opposed to frozen and dehydrated ants, were the best for yoghurt making, but warned that caution was needed for health reasons, as live ants can harbour parasites.
Nonetheless, the researchers pressed ahead to partner with the chefs at Alchemist, a two-starred Michel restaurant in Copenhagen.
Samples collected from ant yogurt fieldwork in Bulgaria, including yogurt and local forest ants. David Zilber
The kitchen team served guests several concoctions including yogurt ice-cream sandwiches shaped like an ant, mascarpone-like cheeses with a pungent tang, and cocktails clarified with a milk wash – all using ants as a key ingredient.
"Giving scientific evidence that these traditions have a deep meaning and purpose, even though they might seem strange or more like a myth, I think that's really beautiful," Jahn said.
Sinotte said it was important to learn from older practices.
"I hope people recognise the importance of community and maybe listen a little closer when their grandmother shares a recipe or memory that seems unusual," she said.
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