Yogurt is the Turkish word for milk that has been fermented into a tart, semisolid mass; it comes from a root meaning “thick.” Essentially the same product has been made for millennia from eastern Europe and North Africa across central
Asia to India, where it goes by a variety of names and is used for a variety of purposes: it’s eaten on its own, diluted into drinks,mixed into dressings, and used as an ingredient in soups, baked goods, and sweets.