When the weather gets hot, Chicagoans may reach for lemonade or a frosty beer. But in many parts of the Persian and Turkic world, cold salty yogurt drinks are the cooler of choice. If you think that’s gross, ask your grandma about the icy buttermilk she used to enjoy on a steamy summer day. This is pretty much the same thing. And it is very close to the salty South Asian lassis we wrote about last week. Turks call this chilly watered-down sheep yogurt drink ayran (eye-RON) and often chop a little mint into it. Persians and Afghanis call it dogh (pronounced like “dew” in Persian and “doh” in Dari) and frequently let it get a little fizzy. You can find ayran in most Turkish restaurants, like Cousin’s (5203 N. Clark St.; 773-334-4553), where it goes for $1.50, or around the corner in the refrigerated section of Middle Eastern Grocery and Bakery (1512 W. Foster Ave.; 773-561-2224) for $1.59. Persian and Afghan dogh can be found at Reza’s (432 W. Ontario St.; 312-664-4500) for $1.50 and Afghan Fine Cuisine (502 W. Main St., Evanston; 847-328-7800) for 95 cents. Dogh and ayran can take a little getting used to initially (expecting something sweet, I almost spit out my first sip of ayran many years ago), but once you do you’ll find that there are few better thirst quenchers in the wide world.
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