🍶 Ayran

Ayran is a slightly salty fermented milk drink made by diluting yogurt with water. The Turkish Food Codex defines it precisely: ayran is made by adding water to yogurt, or by fermenting milk with an adjusted dry-matter content using the two yogurt bacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These bacteria have to stay alive and active until the end of the shelf life.

The drink has long been known in Anatolia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and in Turkey it has become the national drink. Neighboring countries have similar drinks: in Syria, garlic and pieces of ice are added to the sour milk called laban, and this summer drink is also called ayran; in Iran, people drink doogh. The Codex Alimentarius classes such drinks as “drinks based on fermented milk”, which need to contain at least 40% fermented milk.

Turkish rules cap the salt in ayran at 0.8% and divide it by fat content: full-fat ayran contains at least 1.8% milk fat, semi-skimmed 0.8 to 1.2%, and skimmed no more than 0.5%. The fat class is part of the name on the label. Ayran is drunk cold, especially in hot weather, when it is wonderfully refreshing.

Ayran, kefir or buttermilk? These are separate fermented milks with their own definitions, and ayran is the one defined as yogurt thinned with water, or milk fermented with the two yogurt bacteria. It is slightly salty, with salt capped at 0.8% in Turkey. Neighbouring countries have close relatives: in Syria the sour milk laban, served with garlic and pieces of ice, is also called ayran, and in Iran the similar drink is doogh. The Codex Alimentarius puts them all among drinks based on fermented milk, which must contain at least 40% fermented milk.

Look for the name “ayran” on a chilled pack, with the fat class written as part of the name: full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed. The salt figure is on the nutrition label, and in Turkey it cannot exceed 0.8%. Ayran is sold in the chilled dairy section of supermarkets and in Turkish and Middle Eastern grocery shops. The pack should show it contains live yogurt cultures until the date marked on it.

Why it matters to you. Even a slightly salty drink adds salt to your diet: Iranian doogh sampled in Tehran contained an average of 1.04 g of salt per 100 g, while WHO advises adults to have less than 5 g a day. So check the label: in Turkey, ayran cannot contain more than 0.8% salt. Ayran is also easy to make at home: dilute plain yogurt with cold water and add a pinch of salt.