Ayran is served chilled and often as an accompaniment to grilled meat, bread or rice,[11] especially during summer.[12] It is made by mixing yogurt with chilled or iced water[13] and is sometimescarbonated and seasoned with mint.[14][15] It has been variously described as "diluted yogurt"[16] and "a most refreshing drink made by mixing yogurt with iced water".[17]
The traditional method of preparing this drink among variousIranic peoples involves pouring yogurt into awaterskin—known as mashk (مشک) inLuri,Kurdish, andPersian, and maskah (مسکه) in Afghanistan —and vigorously shaking it to separate the butter from the liquid. The process takes a considerable amount of time and effort and is often made easier by suspending the waterskin from a wooden frame calledmalār (ملار) using woolen ropes, allowing it to swing freely. Once the butter is extracted, the remaining liquid, called doogh, is collected and consumed as a refreshing beverage.[18][19] In India and Pakistan, ayran is sometimes calledNamkeen Lassi (نمکین لسی).[20]
Ayran was developed in Central Asia byTurkic tribes.[21][16] A c. 1000 CE Turkic dictionary,Dīwān ul-Lughat al-Turk, definesayran as a "drink made out of milk".
Turkish Yayık Ayran is served in a copper pitcher.
Salt,black pepper, driedmint, andlime juice can be mixed in. Dicedcucumbers can be added to provide a crunchy texture to the beverage. Some varieties ofdoogh are carbonated. In Balkan countries, the drink is usually consumed for breakfast or lunch, usually combined with pastries like banitsa, börek or other pastries.
InTurkey, there are three types registered well known ayran variations one of them isSusurluk Ayranı. In this version ayran is drawn from the vat and rapidly poured back into it through a narrow pipe from above. During this circulation process, the fat in the ayran creates a foam on its surface.[27][28]
In some eastern parts of Turkey, ayran is made using a mixing method, which results in a very frothy drink which known asYayık Ayranı. InMalatya region there is a form of spicy ayran known asMalatya Spicy Ayran. It has gained a registration and patent in 11.04.2022.[29]
InAfghanistan, ayran (known asdoogh orshromba) is a summer beverage. It is made with yogurt, salt, mint, diced cucumbers, lime, and is sometimes carbonated. It is enjoyed alongsidebolani, Afghan flatbread, and other picnic foods.
InAlbania, ayran is known asdhallë and is made exclusively with yogurt, salt and water and it is served cold. The name 'dhallë' comes from mixed and shaken.
In Southern Cyprusayrani (αϊρανι) is made with sour sheep yogurt, water, salt and mint.
In Russia and some other Slavic countries, the local variant is calledkefir which houses a similar taste but is instead made using fermented milk from kefir grains.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a Turkish politician who has held the posts ofPresident andPrime Minister, has promotedayran as anational drink. Speaking at a 2013WHO Global Alcohol Policy Conference held by simar inIstanbul, Erdoğan contrastedayran withbeer, which he claimed was a recent introduction to Turkey.[30]
Nevertheless, sales ofayran in Turkey lag behind othernon-alcoholic beverages. According to a 2015 joint statement from the Soft Drink Producers Association, the Sparkling Water Producers Association, and the Milk Producers and Exporters Union of Turkey,ayran consumption duringRamadan had declined every year for the years 2010 to 2015.[31]
In 2015, Turkey'sMinistry of Customs and Trade imposed a 220,000TL fine (approximately $70,000) on state-ownedÇaykur manufacturers, stating thatayran had been "insulted without reason" in one of their advertisements foriced tea, in which therapperCeza rapped thatayran makes him sleepy; the ministry halted advertisements of Çaykur's competing iced tea product.[32]
^Strnadel, Leslie; Erdley, Patrick (2012).Bulgaria. Other Places Travel Guide. Other Places Publishing. p. 58.ISBN9780982261996.Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved4 December 2016.
^"Turkish Buttermilk".www.kultur.gov.tr. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey.Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved5 October 2013.
^Gina Husamettin (24 May 2013)."Ayran – Turkish national beverage".balkon3.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved5 October 2013.
^Islamic Republic of Iran (26–29 January 2009).Project Document for a Regional Standard for Doogh (CX/NEA 09/5/8)(PDF). Tunis, Tunisia: United Nations. Joint FAO/WHO food standards programme of the FAO/WHO coordinating committee for the Near East. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 May 2017. Retrieved26 June 2011.
^abHalici, Nevin (27 April 2013). "Turkish Delights".Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies.1 (1). University of California Press:92–93.doi:10.1525/gfc.2001.1.1.92.
^Lake Van and Turkish Kurdistan: A Botanical JourneyP. H. DavisThe Geographical Journal, Vol. 122, No. 2 (Jun., 1956), pp. 156–165Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Articledoi:10.2307/1790844
^Nishinari, Katsuyoshi (31 December 2019).Textural Characteristics of World Foods. John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-1-119-43079-7.Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved31 October 2020.Doogh is an Iranian type of traditional fermented dairy-based drinks that is usually produced by mixing set or stirred yogurt and water at the same rate, as well as some aqueous extracts of local herbs, and spices such as thyme.
^Islamic Republic of Iran (26–29 January 2009).Project Document for a Regional Standard for Doogh (CX/NEA 09/5/8)(PDF). Tunis, Tunisia: United Nations. Joint FAO/WHO food standards programme of the FAO/WHO coordinating committee for the Near East. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 May 2017. Retrieved26 June 2011.
^Nishinari, Katsuyoshi (31 December 2019).Textural Characteristics of World Foods. John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-1-119-43079-7.Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved31 October 2020.Doogh consumption is common in Asian countries (e.g. ayran in Turkey, than in Armenia, lassi in southern Asia). However, they may differ from doogh in dilution ratio, rheological characteristics, fat content, and sensory properties.
^"Ayran".Etimoloji Türkçe (in Turkish). Telif Hakları.Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved31 August 2014.
