Doogh () is a cold and savoury Iranian drink. It is made with fermented milk. Unlike its sister beverage of Turkish origin,

ayran Ayran ( ) is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is consumed across Central Asia, and the Balkans, in Turkey and Iran. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are ...

, Doogh is not diluted yogurt. According to the Iranian Ministry of Food Standards, Doogh "is a drink resulting from lactic fermentation of milk whose dry matter is standardized by diluting yogurt (after fermentation) or buttermilk (before fermentation)."

Production

Milk and plain yogurt, at a ratio of 15:1, are mixed and placed on low heat until uniformly warm. Salt is added and the mixture is poured into a closed container and placed in a warm area for 3–4 days, after which it is ready to serve. The longer the drink is left to ferment, the more savoury it becomes. Many subcultures in Iran prefer a longer fermentation period.

Etymology

Doogh has historically been referenced in

Persian literature Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...

as the representation of a "sour version" of milk. The history of this word is uncertain. It is present in

Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...

scripture, and essentially seems to have been another word for milk, or for the product of

milking Milking is the act of removing milk from the mammary glands of cattle, water buffalo, humans, goats, sheep, and, more rarely, camels, horses, and donkeys. Milking may be done by hand or by machine, and requires the animal to be currently or rec ...

Margarat Shaida, "Yoghurt in Iran", In: ''Milk-- Beyond the Dairy: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery'' 1999, , 2000
pp. 311–312
/ref> thus, the word Doogh derives from the Persian word for

, ''dooshidan''. In

Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...

n scripture, doogh is defined as milk. Additionally, in the Avesta, the word for "girl," or "woman," or "female," is ''dooghtar'', which means "the one who milks/is milked," and sounds very similar to the current-day word in Persian for "girl," ''dokhtar''. Some Persian language scholars claim that the English word "daughter" also derives from this word.

History

Doogh (دوغ) is an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

fermented drink that has long been a popular drink and was consumed in ancient Iran (Persia). Doogh is mentioned in

from the middle period. In the Persian physician's

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...

's Kitab al-Qanun the word denotes milk used medically.

Culture

Doogh is recognized as one of the main Iranian beverages to serve alongside meals. Dishes such as Dizi and Chelo-Kabab are the most commonly served with doogh. In some parts of Iran, mainly

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

, doogh is served with the sweet pastry Gosh-e fil as a hallmark tradition and snack. In Iranian popular culture doogh is also considered to have a sedative effect. Pop culture jokes imply that it is a bad idea to drink doogh during lunch at work or school.

References

{{Yogurts Azerbaijani drinks Central Asian cuisine Iranian drinks Yogurt-based drinks Fermented dairy products Fermented drinks Sour foods

Production

Etymology

History

Culture

See also

References