Stoilova, Interdisciplinary Themes Journal 121 Interdisciplinary Themes Journal 3.1 (2011). © Elitsa Stoilova. Readers of this article may copy it without the МopвrТРСt oаner’s permТssТon ТП tСe КutСor КnН puЛlТsСer Кre КМФnoаleНРeН Тn tСe Мopв КnН tСe Мopв Тs useН Пor educational, not-for-profit purpose. FROM HOMEMADE PRODUCT TO INDUSTRIAL ONE: MANIFACTURING BULGARIAN SOUR MILK 1 Elitsa Stoilova Plovdiv University, Bulgaria & Technical University Eindhoven, the Netherlands ABSTRACT: The paper discusses how the urbanization of the living aria affects the traditional food practices. The interconnection between modernization of food production technology and city urbanization are studied trough the case study of the Bulgarian yoghurt. The urbanization of Bulgarian cities from the 1880s until 1920s was related to the absorbing surplus of people on limited area because of the work opportunities in the cities. The delocalization of peasants resulted in profound changes in their life-style practices and food habits. The socio-cultural changes effect of urban growth resulted in transformation of the yoghurt producers into yoghurt buyers. It replaced not only one activity with other, but had many other consequences. Firstly, the relation between the producer and its product was partly destroyed. The yoghurt making, for many households, was no longer part of the common daily practices. Instead, during 1920s and 1930s yoghurt buying in a shop or at the market became a daily practice in the cities. It was followed by the process of disconnection of city consumer from the product. This relation became less direct, replaced by the mediation of dairymen and yoghurt sellers. Thus, the traditional food and home economy practices considered as traditional until then were replaced by new one. KEYWORDS: Urbanization, food history, dairy modernization, early dairy industrialization The development of the big cities such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas Russe, Pleven, and Stara Zagora started after mid 1930s influenced by an economic stabilization of the Bulgarian state. According to the British HТstorТКn RТМСКrН CrКmpton: “In 1881 tСere СКН Лeen onlв ПТЯe toаns, PloЯНТЯ, Ruse, SСumen, SoПТК, КnН VКrnК, with more than 20,000 inhabitants; in 1905 there were eight, and in 1934 tаelЯe.” 2 Peasant attracted by the work opportunities in the cities enabled the absorbing surplus of people on a limited area. 3 The delocalization of peasants resulted in profound changes in their practices and traditions. The social and economic changes resulted in urbanization as the appearance of different (city) lifestyle and consumers was significant for the appearance of yoghurt dairies. By moving to the city, peasants had lost the connection with the land and their animals as the basic source of food and profits. Those changes were typical for the 1930s, when the city administration met the problem of how to supply healthy raw milk for growing city population. The challenge of a steady milk supply was directly related to urban development. From the 1880s until 1920s, the rupture with rural traditions resulted in growing dependency of the city food supply from its surrounding peasant areas. This affected the entire food production reorganizing it towards the city. The result of city-consumer transformation was the establishment of new food chain structures: supplying chains, institutions for nutrition control, specialized food shops, and many others. Transformations of Yoghurt Production Yoghurt, considered as traditional food for the Bulgarian population, produced by women from ewe's milk in their households, was mostly for family use. The industrialization of the product starting from late 1920s changed 1 TСe BulРКrТКn nКme Пor вoРСurt Тs “ФТselo mlвКФo” (ɤɢɫɟɥɨ ɦɥɹɤɨ) lТterКrв trКnslКteН “sour mТlФ.” 2 R.J. Crampton, A Concise History of Bulgaria. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), p. 259. 3 On the question of urbanization see Van der Woude and Hayami, De Vries, Urbanization in History: a Process of Dynamic Interactions (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 354.