Discovering Science @Home – Sweet Gems

Crystal Growing

In this video Mario uses sugar. He say, “It was great that we saw crystals grow in front of us. Seeing the results day by day made us more and more interested in how big the crystals could get.”
Did you know? Silicon crystals are used in the tech industry to manufacture chips that power our computers.

Discovering Science @Home – Delicious Treats

Bulgarian Yoghurt Making

Stanislav joins forces with his mother to illustrate the process of fermentation when making Bulgarian yoghurt. – why “Bulgarian” ? Isn’t yoghurt Greek or what? Bulgarian yoghrt is unique because a) it is sour, unlike its counterparts which are either slightly sugary or neutral; and b) it’s not as creamy but more jelly-like. Interestingly, the essential bacterium that causes milk to ferment and turn into yoghurt became known as lactobacillus bulgaricus as a nod towards the country of yoghurt-eaters, forever linking the Bulgarian nation to yoghurt production. Another intriguing fact is that the village of Trun in Bulgaria now houses the only yoghurt museum in the world. Here is the article with more interesting facts about “kiselo mlyako” or sour milk, the way Bulgarians call yoghurt.