Yoghurt. What is yoghurt? Bacteria milk? I don’t know. Welcome to the great Sri Lankan yoghurt taste off.
Every Sri Lankan shop and lunch joint serves chilled cups of yoghurt. They cost 20 or 30 Rupees and, after a spicy meal, are a cooling salve. Like Coca-Cola, the tropical heat occasionally gives me a sudden craving for the product, which I cannot control. Like Coca-Cola, one brand (Highland) tends to dominate, but not necessarily because it’s the best.
In this taste taste I bought all six types of yoghurt that Cargills had and tried them. These are the results, from worst to best.
Kotmale
I’ve had and enjoyed Kotmale before, but in comparison it emerges as the most chemical of the yoghurts. My tasting notes were ‘feet, bacteria’. It smells chemically and I don’t like the square/deep shape. Being used to Highland, any departure from that form factor is extremely disorienting. Taste can overcome that brand bias, but Kotmale tastes like ass.
Ratthi
I like the Ratthi brand for some reason. It seems Indian or exotic or something. Sadly, it tastes mediocre at best. Rathi is an unpleasant yellow color and rather watery. The packaging is good and I’ve enjoyed the yoghurt well enough before, but in comparison it looks more sickly than the others and the texture is infirm.
Highland
Oh Highland. This is the cup of yoghurt. If I get anything else I’m confused but every single kade will have Highland. Objectively, however, it’s not that good. The edges are a bit scummy and, as comforting as the taste is, it’s still artificial. Highland can also taste really really bad if it’s a bit warm. Like from the PA Supermarket at the end of Duplication Road. Never every buy anything there, it’s all gone bad. They once gave me bad Toblerone. How is that even possible? It’s bomb shelter food.
Ambewella
Now we are getting to the creme de la creme.
Do you know what’s funny? Like one year ago, Ambewella gave you a free glass if you bought four boxes of milk. We could only afford metal cups at the time and this seemed like a great deal. I bought Ambewella religiously, also buying far more milk than I was used to. They eventually stopped including the glasses but I kept buying the milk. Now I don’t even know why, I just buy it. It comes in these horrid cartons and spills everywhere. That’s good marketing.
Anyways, after the street corner spew of Kotmale and Rathi, Ambewella is like the Gato Negro of yoghurts. Cheap but quite good enough. My tasting notes say ‘warm, developing deep taste’. Unlike other yoghurts which simply cover the tongue, Ambewella unfolds. There are subtle notes of honey and lingering notes of hakuru and brown sugar. Quite nice. I should say, however, it gets a bit much, which is why Ambewella is only number three. The first bite is great, but it got a bit too intense.
Anchor Newdale
I normally hate this yoghurt because it comes in a tall, kiddie cup. Not a man’s yoghurt. Purely on taste, however, it’s excellent. It has some of the depth of Ambewella with the consistency and comfort of Highland. It is the perfect hybrid, yoghurt, not too high brow, not too bacterial. Good color, decent nose. A fine yoghurt.
Anchor Newdale Stirred
This doesn’t really count, but it’s quite good. Spilled this on the table and ate it anyways. I think there’s some still there, actually. You know when you stir the yoghurt or ice cream at the end, to get that liquidy dip? They have oompa loompas or centrifuges doing that for Anchor Newdale Stirred. It tastes like sugar. Pretty good. Looks like snot, cup is too large, probably doesn’t belong on this list, but it’s good.
Caveat
So, I’m probably still going to eat Highland. That’s what I grew up with. Like Coca-Cola, the brand has an actual neurological hook. One thing I would like to note, however, is that, supposing you really like yoghurt, you cannot buy a larger size. If you want yoghurt for the week you need to buy seven little cups and the cashier has to give you seven little spoons. I find this baffling, but I cannot find a large container of yoghurt that’s as sweet as the little ones. The big ones are sour, whack yoghurt that might be good with falafel but I don’t have any falafel. Getting a sweet yoghurt in bulk is, in my experience, impossible.
What happen to Lucky Youghurt?
I think I saw a Lucky but it had fruit and wasn’t included. Is it good?
lol! my fridge is dominated by highland yogurt. I also eat newdale stirred yogurt with fruits.
If you want yoghurt for the week you need to buy seven little cups and the cashier has to give you seven little spoons. I find this baffling, but I cannot find a large container of yoghurt that’s as sweet as the little ones.”…..
Why Indi putha, Lucky brand has 1 litre tubs of Vanilla yoghurt no? Little vanilla, little sugar…but lots of taste. If you can’t find it in Colombo, come to Dutugamunu-ville, Kelaniya. Any Keells Super Store there will have. If you still want seven little plastic spoons with the 1 litre tub then say my name to the cashier and she / he will provide. Its all good.
I vote for Highland, even for ice cream! highland tastes more milk for me
Lucky is 75% Jelly 25% yoghurt.
You can smash it on the floor but it will still keep its shape intact.
Does Frozen Yogurt count as regular Yogurt or is it something entirely different? I haven’t tasted it btw.
I think Raththi is the fighter brand (cheaper version) of Fonterra. Essentially the Anchor/Newdale people :)
Frozen yogurt is something else. I don’t remember what it is exactly, in Sri Lanka we have gelato and ice cream but I’ve never seen frozen yogs
Newdale stirred is the best for me. All other brands are set with gelatin and also flavoured with vanilla, I think. Nothing wrong with that, but that can’t techincally be called yoghurt.
Well, Highland always touches the nostalgic tastebuds of the innocent years, the Newdale stirred when you want some thing more offshore. Highland also comes in a clean shape without too many grooves and edges making it easy to eat. The cups are easy to store if you are the sort to collect yoghurt cups (Weired? Try if you are a preschool/ primary teacher / mom)
Talking of the itty bitty spoons, I prefer the new dale version.
I love the Newdale stirred Strawberry flavoured. Chemical as shit, perhaps, but it reminds me of good times. :D
well froyo is less creamier than ice cream.
lucky yogurt sucks. here is way too much gelatin in that
Newdale stirred mixed berry is totally yummy, though not really “natural”. Highland is great when you eat it absolutely fresh, purchased from the factory outlet just hours after it has set… But the best yogurt I’ve ever eaten is made by a Biochemist friend of my mums, and she incubates it in her closet, in plastic boxes warmed by a light bulb.
The biochemist must would know the best cultureto to use.
I’ve made yoghurt at home in a flask using a shop -bought cup of yoghurt as culture. Wasn’t bad.
Frozen Yogurt was made available by Elephant House sometime back but not much promotion was done on it. saw a couple of cartons in supermarket freezer, it was expensive as in “1 liter Ice cream expensive”.
I guess they dont make it anymore.
oh and thx for the info Dodo.
Hmmm.. apparently you have missed another well-known brand.. CIC Yogurt ! It tastes sweet and if you gonna have it at a CIC Juiceez outlet, don’t forget to ask some treacle.. ;]
You’re right. CIC makes excellent everything. Juiceez is amazing – best place for produce and juice. They just didn’t have CIC at that Cargills
Hi,
Have you guys tasted “Ranwan” brand , which is one of first yoghurts among the country. They make this three layer yoghurts . wow just best i had . it have fruits ( i mean all natural) , yoghurts ( from fresh milk i think) and jelly layer in one small tub. Once in a life time you should taste it . i love it now and keels have it
just wow wow
haha great way of Publicity heshan bro….way 2 go ahh..cngrtz
Today, the cupcake has evolved from the usual white cake flavor
to the more elaborate forms, such as red velvet cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes and many,
many more. Begin by preparing banana cake mix according to label directions, and fold
in one cup of crisp crumbled bacon. Give the
buyer their half of the raffle ticket and put the other half in a bucket.
well best yogurt one and only it’s “KOTMALE”,,, YOGURT.. WOW.. AMAZING TEST.. ***
Does anchor newdale yoghurt contains geletin of pig??
Does anchor newdale yoghurt contain geletin of pig??