Name: Ayran
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: 500 g yogurt; 1 handful crushed ice cubes; 4 cups water; 1 teaspoon salt

Ayran is a yogurt-based beverage that is mixed with salt and ice cubes. It is the most popular drink in Turkey and other Turkish Nations. Ayran can be considered as the Turkish national drink since the discovery of yogurt. It is such a refreshing drink that can be your best buddy in hot summers. On the other hand, it is a very healthy drink too. If you have a sleep disorder, drink it and you don’t need to count sheep anymore.

On hot summer days, you lose salt from your body because of sweating. This is very dangerous if you don’t get a certain amount of salt back to your body. Turkish health institutes say that drinking Ayran is the healthiest way to get the needed amount of salt back to your body. It is like hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. Once you drink Ayran on a hot summer day, you feel better and get the necessary amount of salt in your body.

How to drink Ayran?

There are two types of Ayran in Turkey. The first one is the ones that are mass-produced by the yogurt manufacturers of Turkey. The other one is called fresh made or homemade ones. Freshly made ones have huge bubbles on them and taste less salty than the mass-produced ones.

I usually prefer to drink fresh-made ones because it tastes less salty and if it is necessary, I can add salt. We usually prefer to drink fresh-made Ayran in a copper mag or copper bowl because copper keeps it cold much longer than a normal glass would. I tell you this because I don’t want you to be confused when you see people drinking it in the copper mugs.

Today, Ayran is more famous than it has used to be. The tourists, who had tried Ayran beverage during their vacations in Turkey, started to prepare it at their homes. Even Turkish yogurt producers saw the demand around the globe and started to export it internationally. Most European restaurants have already added Ayran to their beverage menus. It is such a great thing to see how much the foreign cultures like the taste our national drink.

I think this will be the easiest and the shortest recipe that I share with you so far on my website.