Facts About Ayran
Doogh or Ayran is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is mixed with salt. It is popular in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Preparation
Doogh is served chilled and often as an accompaniment to grilled meat or rice, especially during summer. It is made by mixing yoghurt with chilled or iced water and is sometimes carbonated and seasoned with mint. Doogh has been variously described as "diluted yogurt" and "a most refreshing drink made by mixing yogurt with iced water".
History
Doogh is an Iranian fermented drink that has long been a popular drink and was consumed in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran). Described by an 1886 source as a cold drink of curdled milk and water seasoned with mint, its name derives from the Persian word for milking, dooshidan.
Other similar drinks include ayran in Turkey, t’an in Armenia and lassi in Southern Asia and are popular in Asian countries; however, they can differ from doogh. According to Nevin Halıcı, ayran was consumed by Turks of Central Asia.
A c. 1000 CE Turkish dictionary, Dīwān ul-Lughat al-Turk, defines ayran as a "drink made out of milk."
Turkish national drink status
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a conservative Turkish politician who has held the posts of President and Prime Minister, has promoted ayran as a national drink. Speaking at a 2013 WHO Global Alcohol Policy Conference held in Istanbul, Erdoğan contrasted ayran with alcohol, which he claimed was a recent introduction to Turkey.
Nevertheless, sales of ayran in Turkey may lag behind other non-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 during Ramadan had declined every year for the years 2010 to 2015.
In 2015, Turkey's Customs and Trade Ministry, controlled by Erdoğan's party, imposed a 220,000 TL fine (approximately $70,000) on state-owned Çaykur manufacturers, stating that ayran had been "insulted without reason" in one of their advertisements for iced tea, in which the rapper Ceza rapped that ayran makes him sleepy; the ministry halted advertisements of Çaykur's competing ice-tea product.
Variations
Salt can be added, as can black pepper. Dried mint or pennyroyal can also be mixed in, as well as lime juice. One variation includes diced cucumbers to provide a crunchy texture to the beverage. Some varieties of doogh are carbonated.
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