Ayran is a deliciously tangy and salty Turkish yoghurt drink. It’s pretty much omnipresent across the country, and is an excellent match for many Turkish foods. Especially kebabs..
A little background
Turks have been drinking ayran since they were a nomadic peoples in the central Asian region.
After discovering yoghurt, Turks quickly figured out a way to make the slightly bitter cultured milk product more palatable: By diluting it with a little water and adding salt.
Since then, both the tradition and the drink’s popularity has remained almost unchanged among Turks for thousands of years, even spreading far beyond.
Ayran of various types (and names) is also very popular east and west of Turkey, in areas such as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan and the Balkans.
With which meals is ayran enjoyed?
Most Turks love a good dollop of natural yoghurt alongside any savoury meal. It’s therefore not at all surprising that ayran is a popular drink alongside dinner.
It works particularly well with grilled and fried meat. It’s the most authentic drink to have alongside Adana kebab or shish kebab, but it doesn’t stop there.
Meatballs (köfte), lahmacun and cheese toasties are other popular dishes that are often enjoyed with a glass of ayran alongside.
Having grown up in Norway, at a time when yoghurt was only ever enjoyed sweetened, this was peculiar to me, but I was quickly sold. Now, I’m the first to order ayran on that rare visit to a kebab restaurant… Ayran is simply the perfect match to these dishes!
But why does it work so well with so many traditional Turkish foods?
It’s all about balance. Ayran is tangy and salty, giving the perfect balance to fatty and umami rich foods.
Ayran may also be enjoyed on its own. Especially in summer, when it works a treat on hot days!
Although commercial varieties are available at any cornershop, nothing beats the homemade variety. And it takes only two minutes to make!
How to make ayran
Ayran is made of only three ingredients: Yoghurt, water and salt.
What yoghurt to use
The flavour of your ayran depends almost entirely on the quality of yoghurt you use.
Nothing beats a good home made yoghurt, but you can make very good ayran from commercially available yoghurts as well.
If you can source a tangy yoghurt (rather than creamy), this is your best bet. It’ll give you an ayran like the ones you may have tried in Turkey.
That said, some people enjoy their ayran creamy as well. And commercial ayran is often much less tangy than homemade ayran. So feel free to use what you personally like!
If the yoghurt you’re using is very thick, you may want to use a little more water than in the recipe below.
How to get that foam on top
To many Turks, foam on top ayran is essential.
Unless you’re ready for a relatively complicated process involving more ingredients than just yoghurt, water and salt, it’s difficult to achieve the same level of foam you find in many kebab restaurants at home.
Some recipes suggest substituting sparkling water for some of the water to increase the amount of foam. I couldn’t notice any difference when I tested it.
I do recommend using a blender, however. This allows the ingredients to mix very well, but also makes a nice foam on top.
Flavourings
Ayran is usually enjoyed plain, but some like to add an extra flavour or two.
Dried or fresh mint is most common. This majes your ayran even more refreshing, though personally I prefer mine plain. Especially if I’m having it alongside meat!
Some recipes, particularly non-authentic ones, also suggest adding finely chopped cucumber. I’m sure it’s tasty. Feel free to add some if you like, but it’s not Turkish. To me, that sounds more like cacık, the Turkish equivalent of tzatziki, which is commonly diluted with water and served as a cold soup.
Ingredients
- 300 ml Greek yoghurt
- 200–300 ml very cold water
- salt, to taste
How I make it
- Add yoghurt, water and salt to a blender. I use approx. 1/4 tsp salt. Blend until a little foam has formed on top, a minute or so.
- If you’re happy with the flavour and consistency, serve immediately. If not, add more yoghurt, water or salt to taste and whizz for a few more seconds before serving.
5 responses
I was a bit sceptical at first. But having made it , my husband and I love it with our red pepper read.
How do you make homemade yogurt, also how long does ayran keep in a fridge .
Ayran will keep for a few days in the fridge. I’ve not shared a recipe for homemade yoghurt here yet, though I’m planning to sometime soon. In the meantime, there are plenty of resources online. In short, you heat milk to approx 40-42 C, mix with a little yoghurt (a good dollop per litre of milk), then leave in a warm place for 8 hours or so, then in the fridge for another few hours. (If using raw milk, you should pasteurise it first, then cool it to 40-42 C before adding the yoghurt.) Good luck!
Great recipe! Easy and delicious! Hope I get back to Istanbul soon!
Looking foreword to more Turkish recipes …. learned to love ayran when in Turkyi! ?