00:00 They can't seem to get enough of this yogurt.
00:04 After all, it keeps them young for many long years, they say.
00:09 This particular Bulgarian yogurt is said to possess magic powers.
00:13 Every year the village of Manchilovsi devotes an entire festival to it.
00:20 But why exactly?
00:21 What's its secret?
00:24 These two Manchilovsi residents know it very well.
00:27 A cow named Milena and her owner, Sika Gajiva.
00:35 My cow is five years old.
00:38 She's already had three little calves, and now she's carrying the fourth.
00:43 She gives ten litres of milk a day, five in the morning and five in the evening.
00:49 I give her fodder with a high fat content so her milk will be thicker.
00:54 I always have to make sure to feed my Milena properly and on time.
01:04 It's said Milena's good milk is part of the secret to living a long life.
01:08 But what else?
01:13 We look for more answers here in Manchilovsi.
01:16 The village in southern Bulgaria has a population of barely one thousand.
01:22 Experts say they live very long lives here.
01:25 A higher than average proportion of centenarians live in the region, according to studies conducted
01:30 a few years ago.
01:32 One reason cited for that is the food, in particular the yogurt made with traditional
01:36 methods.
01:37 It's good for the intestines and bolsters the immune system.
01:43 And because it's so healthy, it's cause for an annual celebration.
01:47 The yogurt festival in Manchilovsi runs for three days in September.
01:52 But Sika Gajeva has no time for partying.
01:55 She has to look after Milena.
01:57 Sika was born and raised here and swears by her own homemade yogurt.
02:06 We simply can't do without yogurt anymore.
02:09 We're so accustomed to it.
02:11 And thanks to the yogurt, we all live very long lives.
02:15 My mother, for instance, was 99 years old.
02:18 She credited the yogurt for her long life.
02:22 Just what is the secret of this special Bulgarian yogurt?
02:26 In this living room, she reveals the amazingly simple recipe.
02:31 Two tablespoons of yogurt go into this pot of lukewarm milk.
02:36 The lactic acid bacteria they contain reproduce and convert the lactose into lactic acid.
02:42 New yogurt is made using cultures from the previous batch.
02:47 The fermentation process takes four hours.
02:50 Then it's ready to eat.
02:53 The milk has to be at 45 degrees Celsius.
02:55 I have a thermometer over there.
02:58 I stick it in the milk and measure it.
03:00 And I always wrap a blanket around everything and treat it like my baby.
03:05 That's it.
03:09 It seems like anyone could do that.
03:12 But not everyone has the lactobacillus bulgaricus.
03:15 It's the strain of lactic acid bacteria that ferments Milena's milk.
03:21 It was a Bulgarian microbiologist who, in 1905, discovered the bacteria that ferments
03:26 milk to make yogurt.
03:29 And Bulgaria has been inseparably linked with yogurt ever since.
03:34 Even though other lactic acid bacteria have now been identified that can also be used.
03:39 But lactobacillus bulgaricus was the first to be named.
03:43 In China, it's even a symbol of good health.
03:46 A company there markets yogurts named after the Bulgarian village.
03:49 It may not be the same, but the image is enough to bring Chinese visitors here every year.
03:54 Our Chinese yogurt tastes sweeter.
03:56 We're not used to it without sugar, like here.
03:59 Bulgarian yogurt tastes more natural.
04:01 It's a little bit different.
04:03 Yeah, so for this one, it's more dense.
04:05 Yeah, than the Chinese one.
04:08 I prefer the jams added to the yogurt.
04:11 Yeah.
04:12 But Shilovsi's master yogurt makers will have none of such things.
04:16 They're preparing for one of the yogurt festival's highlights, the yogurt eating contest.
04:42 This evening, in the presence of the Chinese ambassador, Anzika Gajeva, it's time to elect
04:47 Miss Yogurt.
04:56 We're very happy to have a festival like this in town, and that we've still got cows in
05:01 the village.
05:03 And I think it's especially interesting to have the Chinese here with us.
05:11 It's nice that we've been cultivating good relations with them for years.
05:19 The party on the village square goes on till late that evening.
05:23 With good cheer, fresh food, healthy mountain air, and of course, everyone's friend, the
05:28 lactobacillus bulgaricus.
05:31 The combination of it all may well be the real secret of a long life in this village
05:35 in southern Bulgaria.
05:37 (upbeat music)
05:39 (upbeat music)
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