Ayran is a staple beverage served throughout the middle east but particularly in Turkey either with fast food from a street vendor or as a refreshing drink served with ice.
The main ingredient of Ayran is yogurt, which originated as a Turkish word yogurtmak meaning “to blend” – referring to how yogurt is made. It is generally assumed that the drink mixture Ayran developed as a way to preserve yogurt by adding salt to the mixture.
Basic Ayran is simply an equally blended mix of plain yogurt and water. Salt is added to taste. In some regions the water is replaced either all or in part by cucumber juice.
A very popular version is called Susurluk Ayran. The ingredients are the same as plain Ayran. The difference comes from circulating the mixture with high speed pumps through a tap, creating a foamy drink. The most common additive to plain Aryan is mint. Add finely chopped mint and ice for a cooling summer drink. Other common variations may be flavoured with garlic or heavily salted. Plain water may be replaced with sparkling water. Blending at high speeds creates a foamy head, which many acclaim to be the best part. In any of it’s incarnations, Ayran is a tasty, refreshing drink that is also good for you. Served either room temperature or iced, with or without additional flavours, it’s the perfect drink to be served with pastries or a cheese panini called Tost.