Ayran, doogh, dhallë, daw, xynogala or tan is a cold savory

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bact ...

-based beverage popular across

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes A ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...

North Asia North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographical terms and is coextensive with the Asian part of Russia, and consists of three Russian regions east of the Ural Mountai ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, wh ...

. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are

carbonated Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic ...

Etymology

''Ayran'' (cf. '' airag'' in Mongolian: ' mare milk', ' (') in Chuvash: '

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...

') is mentioned in

Mahmud al-Kashgari Mahmud ibn Husayn ibn Muhammed al-Kashgari, ''Maḥmūd ibnu 'l-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Kāšġarī'', , tr, Kaşgarlı Mahmûd, ug, مەھمۇد قەشقىرى, ''Mehmud Qeshqiri'' / Мәһмуд Қәшқири uz, Mahmud Qashg'ariy / М ...

's 11th century ''

Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk The ' ( ar, ديوان لغات الترك, lit=Compendium of the languages of the Turks) is the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled in 1072–74 by the Turkic scholar Mahmud Kashgari who extensively studied the Turkic ...

'', although he did not give any information how ayran was made. The word is derived from the Old Turkic root adır- ("to separate"), cf. Turkish ("to separate").

Preparation

Doogh is served chilled and often as an accompaniment to grilled meat or rice, especially during summer. It is made by mixing yogurt with chilled or iced water and is sometimes

and seasoned with mint. It has been variously described as "diluted yogurt" and "a most refreshing drink made by mixing yogurt with iced water". The traditional way of preparing the drink among various

Iranic peoples The Iranian peoples or Iranic peoples are a diverse grouping of Indo-European peoples who are identified by their usage of the Iranian languages and other cultural similarities. The Proto-Iranians are believed to have emerged as a separate ...

is straight from milk, without yogurt, using a waterskin, known as ''mashk'' (مشک) in Luri, Kurdish and Persian in Iran, and ''maskah'' (مسکه) in Afghanistan. This is done by pouring the milk in the waterskin, usually made of deer or sheep skin, and shaking it for hours, sometimes using a wooden structure to keep the waterskin above the ground with woolen strings to make the task easier. In Pakistan, Ayran is sometimes called ''Namkeen Lassi'' ().

History

Similar drinks exist elsewhere, such as ''doogh'' (دوغ), an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

fermented drink that has long been a popular drink and was consumed in ancient Iran (Persia). Described by an 1886 source as a cold drink of curdled milk and water seasoned with mint, its name (Doogh) derives from the Persian word for milking, ''dooshidan''. Other similar drinks include ''t’an'' in Armenia and ''

lassi Lassi () is a regional name for buttermilk, the traditional dahi (yogurt)–based drink, consumed in the South Asian region. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices, and sometimes fruit. Salty lassi is similar to doogh, while modern sweet l ...

'' in Southern Asia and are popular in Asian countries; however, they can differ from ''doogh''. ''Ayran'' has been consumed by

Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...

tribes from the distant past. According to Nevin Halıcı, ''ayran'' was consumed by Turkic people of Central Asia. A c. 1000 CE Turkic dictionary, '' Dīwān ul-Lughat al-Turk'', defines ''ayran'' as a "drink made out of milk". Regional names of the drink and its variations are: sq, dhallë; ar, شنينة ''šinīna'' or ''eayran''; arm, թան ''t'an''; ky, chalap; az, ayran; bg, айрян ku, dew, do; ps, شلومبې ''shrombey''; ; syr, ܕܘܓ̄ܐ ''daughe''; gr, ξινόγαλα ''xinogala'' or αριάνι ''ariani'';

Pontic Greek Pontic Greek ( pnt, Ποντιακόν λαλίαν, or ; el, Ποντιακή διάλεκτος, ; tr, Rumca) is a variety of Modern Greek indigenous to the Pontus region on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, ...

: αΐραν ''ayran''; tr, ayran.

Variations

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in di ...

, dried mint, and lime juice can be mixed in. Diced

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, ayran (known as dogh in Afghanistan) is a summer beverage. It is made with yogurt, salt, mint, diced cucumbers, lime, and is sometimes carbonated. It is enjoyed alongside bolani, afghan flatbread, and other picnic foods. In Cyprus, ayran, known as Ayrani (Αϊρανι) in Greek, is made with sour sheep yogurt, water, salt and mint.

Turkish national drink status

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as mayor of Istanbul from 1994 t ...

, a Turkish politician who has held the posts of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

, has promoted ''ayran'' as a

national drink A national drink is a distinct beverage that is strongly associated with a particular country, and can be part of their national identity and self-image. National drinks fall into two categories: alcoholic and non-alcoholic. An alcoholic nationa ...

. Speaking at a 2013 WHO Global Alcohol Policy Conference held in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Erdoğan contrasted ''ayran'' with

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, which he claimed was a recent introduction to Turkey. Nevertheless, sales of ''ayran'' in Turkey lag behind other

non-alcoholic beverage An alcohol-free or non-alcoholic drink, also known as a temperance drink, is a version of an alcoholic drink made without alcohol, or with the alcohol removed or reduced to almost zero. These may take the form of a non-alcoholic mixed drink (a "vi ...

s. 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 during Ramadan had declined every year for the years 2010 to 2015. In 2015, Turkey's Ministry of Customs and Trade, imposed a 220,000 TL fine (approximately $70,000) on state-owned

Çaykur Çaykur is a Turkish state owned tea producing company. Their portfolio includes ice tea, green tea, organic and black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized tha ...

manufacturers, stating that ''ayran'' had been "insulted without reason" in one of their advertisements for

iced tea Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink that can b ...

, in which the

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Ceza rapped that ''ayran'' makes him sleepy; the ministry halted advertisements of Çaykur's competing ice-tea product.

Gallery

File:Ayran - Ankara.jpg, ''Ayran'' served in traditional way with copper cup (''maşrapa)''. File:Doogh in Ankara.jpg, ''Doogh'' with dry mint on it. File:Dew (vexwarin).jpg, ''Dew'' File:Tan-raffi kojian-IMG 3584.JPG, Bottle of carbonated ''tan.''

References

{{Yogurts

External links

FAO international standards
Afghan cuisine Armenian drinks Azerbaijani drinks Iranian drinks Iraqi cuisine Israeli cuisine Palestinian cuisine Lebanese cuisine Assyrian cuisine Jordanian cuisine Kurdish cuisine Pashtun cuisine Syrian cuisine Turkish drinks Cypriot cuisine Yogurt-based drinks Fermented dairy products Fermented drinks Sour foods Albanian drinks Bulgarian drinks Pakistani drinks