Repositioning yoghurt is on the 'curds'

Though we still await the eventual scientific — read, empirically substantiated — corroboration of yoghurt stimulating technological breakthroughs, it is surprising that the dairy product’s story is turning sour in the US after a decade of growth. This downturn has begun despite overwhelming anecdotal evidence that thayir saadam, the traditional rice-and tempered-yoghurt combination favoured by south Indian techies, continues to indirectly fuel the formidable success of Silicon Valley. The problem, obviously, is that except for those techies, yoghurt remains primarily a breakfast food, a ‘healthy’ snack or a low-calorie dessert for others in the US, and is thus prone to be supplanted by alternatives including ‘non-dairy’ yoghurts.

In India, yoghurt is not only a part of most meals (or a meal in itself, like thayir saadam) but also a key ingredient in favourite dishes such as kadhi; no wonder yoghurt sales are growing apace in India. A rejig of staple US recipes should be on the curds.

Navel-gazing by the industry in the west has also revealed an evident problem: there is simply too much choice, with over 300 variants, including vegan oat-milk yoghurt. Of course, the brighter flip side of this is the possibility that they are setting yoghurt at home — a traditional dairy chore too many Indians have clearly stopped.