The Nationalism of Yogurt in America

Food is not stagnant; it evolves - foodways and food cultures are shared across geographies.

I scribbled down a recipe for a Turkish meze called havuç tarator (havooch taratour) for a friend living in Texas. This meze contains shredded carrots, garlic, olive oil, and thick, strained yogurt. As I listed the items to pick up from the market, it pained me to write “Greek yogurt” on the list of needed ingredients. 

My husband and I relocated to the …