Foreign Grocery Friday: Save Your Tastebuds from Spicy with Ayran in Turkey
When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!
Every culture with spicy foods seems to have that one milky drink that perfectly cools down your mouth. For instance, you order a lassi in India and a horchata in Mexico, and an Ayran in Turkey. It's a cold, yogurt-based beverage which we've found in not only Turkey, but also in the small grocery stores of the Astoria section of Queens, New York and also the Döner Kebap shops around Europe. Berlin especially loves a cold Ayran with their kebap.
The taste: Ayran is a simple drink, so easy to make that you could whip it up no problem at home. The major three ingredients (or only three, if you're making it plain) are water, yogurt and salt. Thus, it tastes exactly like natural yogurt watered down with salt water. Although this isn't the most appetizing description, trust that Ayran is quite tasty. The first sip just hits those places on your tongue that need to be caressed during a spicy meal.
The price: $1.35 in the US, or 1.50 TL Turkish Lira
Where to find it: "Yogurt comes from a Turkish word meaning "to blend," and with this kind of history you can bet that Ayran will be almost everywhere you look in Turkey; even Turkish McDonalds serve it. In Europe, head to Döner Kebap shops actually run by Turkish or Eastern Europeans, or just head to the Trade Fair supermarket on Ditmars Boulevard in Queens, NY; it's where we bought the above bottle just yesterday. Also keep your eye for it in yogurt-like packaging similar to this.
[Photos: Jaunted]
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