Review: White Moustache from Red Hook
Yogurt-eating has greatly increased over the past 20 years, and so has the production. More are loving the Greek yogurt craze, however, not all yogurt and whey are made the same.
One must carefully handle yogurt whey. Otherwise it can have a very serious environmental impact if disposed of incorrectly by releasing so many probiotics into the ecosystem, as noted by Jeffrey Steingarten’s article in Vogue, July 2014.
White Moustache, since 2011, is a small company making yogurt with a father and daughter team. They take their time to get it just right in small batches and sells in small swat jars in a sanitized room in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Homa Dashtaki, owner, said yogurt making is a technique that been around for thousands of years.
Homa grew up making yogurt with her father. She emigrated from Iran to California when she was eight. In Persian cuisine, yogurt is on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She tried to make it in California, but did not last long. Homa had her county permits in order but was not state-approved. She learned that by California law, it is illegal to make a milk-based product in a facility that is different from the site where the milk was pasteurized.
Homa knew she had something special. and she knew that she would have to move in order to make it. Oregon wanted her, but she landed in New York thanks to Salvatore BKLYN’s Betsy Devine, who offered to share her state-certified space. Inspectors did not like her first batch, but, unlike the others, they offered to work with her to help bring it up to code.
White Moustache has yogurt products that are handmade, hand-strained, hand-packed, and made in small batches. The company made handmade yogurt, labnehs, probiotic tonics, and probiotic pops.
The yogurt is handmade, hand-strained and hand-packed with nothing but pure milk and probiotics. Their labor intensive yogurt is made using ancient Persian techniques that they work hard to keep alive. Persian yogurt is strained more slowly and made without adding any creams, starches, or other thickening agents. It’s also slightly tart and savory, though Dashtaki and her father decided to add a layer of fruit to their yogurt to cater to American tastes.
It is important to get the best milk.They use the milk from cows raised in suitable and more traditional agricultural environments. Also, they get their milk from Hudson Valley Fresh, a co-op of family farms dedicated to maintaining both healthy cows and the natural agricultural landscape of the region. Every drop of yogurt whey is full of calcium, probiotics and vitamins.
The company has three Probiotic Pops that are natural and eco-friendly. Their Traditional, Sour Cherry, and Persian Cucumber, are far from traditional. Another, interesting flavor, Tropical, consists of mango and pineapple-ginger. Another unusual flavor is their Melon with watermelon and cantaloupe.
Another product is their probiotic tonics with of pure yogurt whey and flavors of Plain, Ginger, Honey Lime, Passion Fruit and Pineapple.
Their labneh is the same yogurt recipe but strained longer for a thicker, shareable dip. It is available in Plain, Shankleesh and Kurdish flavors.
Also, there are handmade yogurts like Greek, Sour Cherry, Dates, Walnut & Honey and Seasonal flavors. If you like Greek yogurt, then you like White Moustache’s that has even more consistency. Also, they use only the most natural sweetness into its yogurt.
One can find the company’s yogurts at gourmet grocery stores and large retailers like Whole Foods. White Moustache has appeared in numerous publications, including Bon Appétit, The Wall Street Journal, and Food & Wine, which dubbed the product “the silk sheets of yogurt. More about the products can be found at whitemoustache.com.
