Dish · caucasian

Ayran

Ayran is plain yogurt thinned with cold water and a pinch of salt, whisked or blended until frothy, drunk savory rather than sweet alongside grilled meat.

Ayran, illustrated

Where it comes from

It developed across the Caucasus and wider Turkic and Middle Eastern regions as a way to use surplus yogurt in a hot climate, salted rather than sweetened to work as a savory drink with meals.

What cooks argue about

The variable that changes it most is the yogurt to water ratio: more water makes a thinner, more refreshing drink, less water makes something closer to a yogurt smoothie, with no fixed standard between them.

Nobody has published a ayran recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.