Enjoy FAGE Total Greek yogurt for breakfast, lunch, dinner (as a base for sauces, a condiment or accent to meat, fish and poultry), or dessert, or snacks. Photo by Matka Wariatka | CSP.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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February 2005
Last Updated August 2010
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FAGE Total Greek Yogurt
Perhaps The Best Plain Yogurt, And A Total Delight
CAPSULE REPORT: Following explosive sales in the U.S., FAGE Total Greek Yogurt built a factory in Johnstown, New York (between Albany and Utica), which opened in 2008. It’s a more efficient way to deliver its products than importing them all the way from Greece. Only cow’s milk yogurt is produced at the plant. The tzatziki and the sheep’s and goat’s milk yogurt blend are no longer imported.
Overview
If you should be eating more yogurt for the acidophilus, calcium, or other health benefits, this NIBBLE may change your life. If you love yogurt anyway, it may introduce you to a new love.
A well-kept foodie secret is how great FAGE Total Greek yogurts is (pronounce it FAH-yeh*). Unlike American and French yogurts, it is triple-strained to remove the watery whey. What results is a product with the thick, velvety consistency of sour cream and the sweetness of fromage blanc. (See our Yogurt Glossary to understand the different styles of yogurt.) FAGE Total lacks the strong tang of other yogurts and appeals to people who avoid yogurt for that reason. We have yet to meet someone who, having tasted FAGE Total, has not converted.
*FAGE, pronounced FAH-yeh, is the an acronym and a pun. First the acronym: F for the the Filippou family that owns the company, A for adelphi, the Greek word for brothers, G for the Greek word for dairy, and E for the word for corporation. Thus, FAGE = The Filippou Brothers' Dairy Corporation. Now for the pun: in Greek, fage also means “to eat.” Some culinary oracles might say that’s a good omen. We say: “More FAGE Total, please!”
One of Greece’s finest brands (and the largest dairy producer in the country), FAGE Total was imported until the quantities got so large, it made sense to build a factory and make the yogurt here. Alas for those who loved the imported tzatziki and the sheep and goat milk yogurt blend, only the cow’s milk yogurts are made here; nothing is imported any more. But there’s still plenty to love.
Products
The line includes plain and fruit-flavored cow’s milk yogurts in 0%, 2% and 5% milkfat (whole milk), plus fruit or honey-flavored yogurt cups in 2% and 5%.
O% Yogurt
For starters you must try the simply delectable plain yogurt in 0% (fat free), 2%, and whole milk at 80 calories, 130 calories, and 260 calories a cup, respectively. It doesn't matter if you don't generally eat plain yogurt: FAGE’s Total will give you a new benchmark. The 0% is so thick, rich, and creamy that it's hard to justify upgrading to more calories.
For a great diet dish or dip, serve the 0% with chopped cucumbers, garlic and dill. Or combine the ingredients into tzatziki, or make raita, a similar concept from India.
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Product photos courtesy FAGE Total. |
The fat-free FAGE Total has become a universal staple in our home. We eat it with cereal instead of milk. We use it as a base for all of our dips, sauces, and salad dressings (blend it with crushed tomatoes and basil to top pasta or chicken); mix it with onion, chopped mint, curry, or other counterpoint to create a condiment for almost anything. We have it with fruit for dessert: add some sweetener to eat it as “pudding” or churn it into a quick sorbet. When we sneak into the kitchen between meals, 80 calories of 0% FAGE Total is a guilt-free snack (and with a tablespoon of sugar-free La Nouba preserves, a heavenly one).
2% Yogurt
If the thought of fat-free frightens you—and you won’t take our word on how good the 0% yogurt is, dip in to the 2%. It’s 50% higher in calories. You be the judge as to whether or not you want to spend those calories on yogurt.
On the other hand, if you don’t like plain yogurt, the 2% is a good starting point for the honey- and fruit-flavored varieties (cherry, peach and strawberry).
For a great diet dish or dip, serve the 0% with chopped cucumbers, garlic and dill. Or combine the ingredients into tzatziki, or make raita, a similar concept from India.
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5% Yogurt
Those who don’t count calories can enjoy the whole-milk, 5% FAGE Total. Add some sweetener and it tastes like cannoli cream. When we first started to eat FAGE Total, we purchased this variety in error, thinking it was the 0%, and happily enjoyed two luscious, large cartons before realizing our error.
Then, as you can see in the photos, we realized that FAGE Total packaging is color coded. We learned to look for the color rather than count on picking the right % on the label. Thanks to FAGE for offering this option to those of us who too quickly race through the supermarket. |
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The whole milk variety, actually 5% milkfat, has no percentage designation on the label. |
The Greek word for yogurt is yaourti. The Greek word for perfection is ellipsis. And polyamine means enjoy!
FAGE TOTAL GREEK YOGURT
Plain and Flavored Yogurt
- Large, Plain Yogurt
Whole Milk, 2% and
0% Fat-Free
17.6 Ounces
$4.99
- Plain Yogurt Cup
6 Ounces
$1.99
- Flavored Yogurt Cup
2% & Whole Milk (Cherry, Strawberry, Honey)
5.3 Ounces
$1.79
Prices will vary based on retailer and region. |
Sundae-style flavored yogurt cups keep the fruit or honey in a separate compartment for your mixing pleasure. |
Purchase at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Direct, specialty food stores and select supermarkets nationwide.
For a retailer near you, write to info@FAGEUSA.com.
Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change.
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