Old home recipe Researchers produce yogurt with ants - imitation not recommended
Ants, milk and a pinch of cultural history: researchers discover how an unusual recipe from grandma's time brings flavor and variety to the world of yogurt. But they also warn against its use.
05.10.2025, 20:29
05.10.2025, 21:00
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- Researchers have investigated a traditional method of fermentation using live ants.
- The principle: lactic and acetic acid bacteria in the insects contribute to the coagulation of milk - resulting in yoghurt.
- However, the team warns against imitation: The ants can be infested with parasites.
Throw four wood ants into warm milk and be patient - and you have yoghurt. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark have taken a closer look at this traditional method of fermentation, which originated in Turkey and the Balkans, and report on it in the journal "iScience". However, they warn against imitating it.
The researchers traveled to the Bulgarian home village of their co-author and anthropologist Sevgi Mutlu Sirakova and had the tradition explained to them by her relatives and other locals. "We put four whole ants in a glass of warm milk according to Sevgi's uncle's instructions," says Veronica Sinotte from the University of Copenhagen. According to the researchers, the glass was then placed in an anthill overnight - a warm place that creates the right conditions for the fermentation process. By the next day, the milk had begun to thicken and sour. "This is an early stage of yogurt, and that's what it tasted like," says Sinotte.
Are the ants eaten too? In principle, ants could be eaten, explains study leader Leonie Jahn from the Technical University of Denmark when asked. Traditionally, however, this is not the case because the ants are added to the first batch of yoghurt and this is then used to prepare further yoghurt cultures.
The ants' acidity drives fermentation
Back in Denmark, the team found out how the fermentation process works with the help of the animals: According to the authors, the wood ants (Formica) living in the region carry lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria that contribute to the coagulation of milk. Some of these are similar to the bacteria found in commercially available sourdough. The ants also actively contribute to the process, the team writes. Acid is part of the insects' natural chemical defense system. It acidifies the milk and probably creates a culture in which the yoghurt's acid-affine microbes can thrive.
The researchers who tasted the yoghurt during their trip described it as slightly tangy. Today's commercial yogurts are usually made with only two strains of bacteria, explains Jahn. "If you look at traditional yogurts, they have a much greater diversity of species, which varies depending on location, household and season." This influences the taste, texture and uniqueness.
Caution: ants can be infested with parasites
In several trials, the researchers found that production works best with live ants. Frozen or even dried ants did not produce a similarly suitable bacterial culture for the process. Nevertheless, the team warns against using them: live ants can be infested with parasites. If it is not part of your own cultural practice or if you are not particularly familiar with food safety, you should not simply copy the method.
The interdisciplinary research team did not stop at tasting the yoghurt themselves. Chefs from the two Michelin-starred restaurant "Alchemist" in Copenhagen created several dishes from it to give the traditional ant yoghurt a modern twist - including a mascarpone-like cheese, a special cocktail and a yoghurt and ice cream sandwich ("ant-wich"). According to researcher Jahn, the ants were also integrated into some dishes.
