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Most people use the words curd and yogurt interchangeably.

Both are made by fermenting milk.

Is there a difference between the two, or are they the same?

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Where do you get the idea that most people use curd and yoghurt interchangeably? – Matt Эллен May 11 '12 at 9:24
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Curd vs youghurt. This seems general reference. – Matt Эллен May 11 '12 at 9:48
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I don't know if this is true for other parts of India, but in Goa I happened to buy what to my taste was youghurt but it was labelled as "curd". Perhaps Serious had a similar experience. – Paola May 11 '12 at 10:33
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Living here in the US, the only "curd" I know is a nursery rhyme about "curds and whey" ... but that has to be explained to curious children constantly, since they have never heard these words elsewhere. – GEdgar May 11 '12 at 13:37
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@GEdgar 'most people' in the context apparently means many of the many millions in the Indian region. I'd say travel, travel, travel, with family, esp., the little ones. – Kris May 11 '12 at 13:56
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8 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

In India, curd is marketed as "yoghurt."

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd

Curd and Yoghurt are indeed used interchangeably in many parts of (mostly urban) India and the region in general, though probably not in the UK, the US and some other parts of the world. (Thanks to @Peter Shor for the guidelines).

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Is this an answer? This doesn't look like an answer. It looks like a comment. – Matt Эллен May 11 '12 at 12:13
This is an authentic answer from first-hand experience. :-) – Kris May 11 '12 at 12:16
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OK. I'm telling you it doesn't answer the question. – Matt Эллен May 11 '12 at 12:17
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This is an answer, it shouldn't be downvoted (although maybe it should be rewritten so it sounds like an answer). The answer is: they mean the same thing in India (or at least parts of India), but not in most of the world. – Peter Shor May 11 '12 at 12:53
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"In India, the word curd always means plain yogurt ..." [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd] – Kris May 11 '12 at 14:18
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up vote 8 down vote

This answer seems to do a good job of explaining the difference. Yogurt and curd are similar in that bacteria are used to produce lactic acid to thicken the milk. They're different in that yogurt is made with pure culture for consistency.

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+1 Quite a canonical answer. And a great reference. (Actually, the references cited in your reference). – Kris May 11 '12 at 13:30
up vote 4 down vote

They are totally different things. I am a Turk and both products are highly consumed in Türkiye. We call curd as lor in Turkish, and it is very similar to cheese:

enter image description here

On the other hand, yoghurt is a different product.

enter image description here

Both are made of milk.

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Just wanted to add that curds can be soft (as depicted above) or hard. – J.R. May 11 '12 at 10:25
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Nice pictures . – Serious May 11 '12 at 20:19
This post was accidentally closed. We each may have to vote to reopen it. Please do. Thanks. – Kris May 14 '12 at 19:10
Done. Now 1 more vote is needed... – Mehper C. Palavuzlar May 14 '12 at 22:30
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In India curd and yogurt are the same: "curd" is called plain yogurt and if we add something to it, like fruit, it becomes fruit yogurt.

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up vote 1 down vote

Both Curd and Yoghurt are made from milk by fermentation. If it is plain it is curd and if more sugar added it is called yoghurt.

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up vote 0 down vote

In India, curd is often used when it is prepared domestically. When produced on a large scale and packed, it is termed yoghurt.

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In American English,

yoghurt (or yogurt)

is a milk-based food that is cultured with yoghurt-specific bacteria, is a soft and smooth, ranging from jello-like to almost pourable consistency served in a tub, usually eaten at breakfast time. It is usually mixed or served with fruit. There are hundred's of commercially available varieties.

curd

all by itself is rare in AmE except in technical circumstances. For the food 'cottage cheese', where milk has formed into 'curds', small lumps of congealed milk solids, by chemical processes (not bacterial ones). Cottage cheese is often labeled 'large curd' or 'small curd' (depending on the size of the gobbets of coagulated milk).

One would never mistake 'yoghurt' for 'curd' because yoghurt is the dish/food, and 'curd' is a technical descriptor for a congealed bit of milk solids.

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Nitpick: I believe the curds in cottage cheese are composed largely of protein (casein), not just fat. Note, for instance, that they have a very different texture from butter (which is mainly fat). – Nate Eldredge 11 hours ago
@NateEldredge Good point. I edited and waffled. – Mitch 11 hours ago
up vote 0 down vote

Curd is a more generic word thank yoghurt - it is not always made from milk. For example, you can also get lemon curd and bean curd. Curd can simply mean a liquid that has curdled. Yoghurt on the other hand is more specific in definition.

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