ALL ABOUT FOOD: An addictive yogurt treat

Does anybody remember real frozen yogurt, the sour kind that looked like a Dairy Queen but made your mouth pucker when you licked it and had the texture of ice milk? Well, it’s back! It disappeared for a long time and was replaced by frozen yogurt that was pretty much indistinguishable from soft-serve ice cream. It had a creamy mouth-feel and tasted a lot sweeter than the original stuff, which actually tasted like nonfat yogurt. This second generation yogurt sold a whole lot better than the original kind and was often advertised as being low-fat but, when you added the chocolate syrup, Oreo cookie crumbs and chopped up Snickers bars, you more than made up the calories.

When Heidi’s “Frogen Yozurt” opened here in town, 20-some years ago, Heidi was a tiny buff babe who had been a weight-lifting champion. The association with physical fitness and the implied healthiness of yogurt made this sweet treat so popular the lines were out the door. Truthfully, it really wasn’t all that much healthier than ice cream because the manufacturing process destroyed much of the probiotic live cultures that make yogurt healthy.

That was then and this is now and people are becoming more aware that “what you are is what you eat.” So as Californians look for better choices, even in desserts, Korean entrepreneurs have risen to the challenge.

The Red Mango yogurt company was founded in South Korea in 2002 and opened its first stores in the United States in 2007 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Then, a few weeks ago, they rolled out the Red (Mango) carpet in the Crystal Cove shopping center. The hip design is clearly meant to attract young people with its bright lights and “hot” music. Adding to the vibe are arched ceilings, red walls, black floors and a lounge area with padded, low futon-like sofas (that no one older than 60 can get up from).

There are only two flavors of this tangy nonfat treat: original and green tea. The original tastes somewhat like lemony vanilla and the green tea has a distinct matcha flavor. (Matcha is the special tea used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.) The texture is quite creamy although not as smooth as frozen custard and there are 90 calories in 4 ounces. It has sweetness but just the right amount. (Actually this is not just a matter of taste. Fifteen grams of sugar, the amount in a half-cup serving, is the amount the body can process in one hour.) The taste is unique and becomes quite addictive around the second bite.

Its main competitor, Pinkberry, which came to Los Angeles first, has been dubbed “crackberry” because people seem to find it habit forming. To be quite honest, we both have found ourselves “jonesing” for it lately.

Toppings range from healthful to not so. We were impressed by the amount of high quality fresh cut fruit and berries on offer: mango chunks, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and bananas.

None of the fruit was in syrup, and it looked very fresh and appetizing. In fact, the raspberries that topped our original flavor serving were unusually sweet.

Also available for topping are: almonds, dried cranberries, coconut, granola, graham cracker bits, dark chocolate and the cereals — Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles and Cap’n Crunch.

You can also get mochi, which is slightly rubbery gelatinous cubes of sticky rice.

You may be familiar with the frozen dessert called Mochi — the same stuff wrapped around ice cream balls (available at Trader Joe’s and sushi restaurants).

Famous for using only natural ingredients in making “authentic frozen yogurt,” Red Mango is considered to be healthier than the other froyos.

It was the first natural frozen yogurt to receive the National Yogurt Assn.’s Live and Active Culture Seal, “a certification to yogurt manufacturers whose products have live active culture counts in amounts that researchers have determined to have positive health benefits.”

Ten million bacterial cultures per gram is the minimum amount necessary for certification.

Red Mango has 400 million per gram.

This good probiotic bacteria helps maintain a balance of micro-flora in the body.

It also contributes to good digestion and a healthy immune system, as well as increasing the body’s ability to absorb calcium.

There was a drama in the froyo business last year that had all the elements of a Korean style soap opera.

The story involved Red Mango and Pinkberry and was primarily covered in the Korea Daily, a Los Angeles-based newspaper, as well as many food blogs, discussing who was the first to create this concept and who are the copycats.

There were tales of jilted lovers, attempts to block trademarks, threatening visits, police reports, etc.

Pinkberry came into the news again last year because a Los Angeles woman sued them for misrepresentation of their product as “frozen yogurt,” “healthy”, “nonfat” and “all natural” and she won a whopping $750,000, most of which went to charity.

At that time, Pinkberry was keeping its ingredients hidden from the public and had minimal live and active cultures.

In 2008, pressure from the media and consumers caused them to reformulate their product and they are now officially certified, and the contents of their yogurt are publicly displayed.

The astounding popularity of this addictive new frozen sensation means that soon, a la Starbucks, there may be a pusher on every other corner.

Already, Kiwiberry, Fiore, BerriGood and Snowberry are opening stores in your neighborhood as fast as they can.

We were surprised to discover that Snowberry is available downtown at the Coffee Pub in two flavors, plain and blueberry or another fruit, but there are no toppings available. This yogurt is less sweet and more tart than Red Mango’s.

Try these habit-forming products if you dare.

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at themarkos755@yahoo.com