Anyone ever try yogurt soda?

I was at a fruit stand off of the freeway yesterday that's run by some middle-eastern folks. I picked up a bottle of something called "yogurt soda". It looked like a bottle of water with a layer of white goop at the bottom. You're supposed to shake it gently to mix the yogurt goop with the soda water. The guy at the checkstand told me that it's consumed to replace salt lost in the heat and warned me that this stuff sprays all over. He was right - I ended up with it all over myself by the time I got the cap all the way off.

The stuff was pretty weird. It tasted like salty cold sour milk with fizz. The sour milk aspect was pretty strong - there was a potent odor to it and my wife immediately told me it had obviously gone bad. Anyone else ever have this? Was the sour milk aspect just the result of a particularly fragrant fermentation for the yogurt or was the stuff really bad?

Mike

[Robin Garr]

Aha! I've had that, Mike. I believe it's specifically Iranian, and it's called "<i>Doogh</i>" (with a guttural, German-like gargle at the end). Your description of it is right on ... it's definitely an acquired taste. (As I've discussed before, we have a disproportionate number of Iranian/Persian restaurants around here, so I've had the stuff. But not twice. ("Vomit" is another less-attractive descriptor ... )

Thinking about it, since I only tried it once, it's possible that mine went bad too. But I don't think so. The server in the restaurant tried to talk me out of it, warning that only Iranians like it. I guess I should have listened, but this challenge just made me want to try it all the more.

It wasn't totally un-palatable - I kept it and drank about half of it with my meal, to Mary's horror. But I've done <i>doogh</i> now, and don't need to do it again.

Aha! I've had that, Mike. I believe it's specifically Iranian, and it's called "<i>Doogh</i>" (with a guttural, German-like gargle at the end). Your description of it is right on ... it's definitely an acquired taste. (As I've discussed before, we have a disproportionate number of Iranian/Persian restaurants around here, so I've had the stuff. But not twice. ("Vomit" is another less-attractive descriptor ... )

Thinking about it, since I only tried it once, it's possible that mine went bad too. But I don't think so. The server in the restaurant tried to talk me out of it, warning that only Iranians like it. I guess I should have listened, but this challenge just made me want to try it all the more.

It wasn't totally un-palatable - I kept it and drank about half of it with my meal, to Mary's horror. But I've done <i>doogh</i> now, and don't need to do it again.

Wow - so it's supposed to taste like that?!!! Vomit's not too far off, actually.

The first question I got from the guy at the checkout counter was, "Have you had that before?" Like you, I only took that as a bit more of a challenge. I think that's probably the last time for me as well.


Mike

Wow - so it's supposed to taste like that?!!! Vomit's not too far off, actually.

The first question I got from the guy at the checkout counter was, "Have you had that before?" Like you, I only took that as a bit more of a challenge. I think that's probably the last time for me as well.


Mike

Okay then,,, you definitely sold ME on this stuff. Thanks for sharing!

These comments are so different from what I've tasted I can only conclude that your yogurt sodas were spoiled. Every one I've had was delicious.

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

These comments are so different from what I've tasted I can only conclude that your yogurt sodas were spoiled. Every one I've had was delicious.

Are you talking about Iranian <i>doogh</i>, Bob?

My friend Dara spells it "dooqh", but I'm pretty sure we are talking about the same thing. It's very easy to make: let yogurt "ripen" out of the refrigerator for two or three days to produce carbonation. Then mix with water until it's the consistency of milk. Add salt and dried mint. Best if very cold, even with ice cubes. Dara's sister is a wonderful Iranian cook, and she serves dooqh throughout her many course meals as a palate refresher.

[A somewhat more complex and sweeter drink consists of buttermilk, raisins, dill and cucumber -- this can be popped up but letting the buttermilk sour a bit.]

Commercial dooqh -- there are other spellings I think -- is sometimes carbonated with carbonated water -- that may be harsher and less pleasant. And, doogh should be very smooth -- if it looks like vomit, it needs more blending.

There's a similar Turkish "aged yogurt" drink that isn't carbonated -- I'm drawing a blank on the name just now -- and a peppery type from northern Greece and Bulgaria. And, of course, there's the whole family of Indian lassis -- fruity sometimes, but often plain.

I make many versions of these drinks in the summer -- I suppose it's the taste of aged yogurt that is troubling to people. But if the drink is well blended and served very cold, appearance shouldn't be off putting.

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

doogh should be very smooth -- if it looks like vomit, it needs more blending.

Bob, this rather unpleasant analogy didn't have to do with appearance but aroma and flavor - an extreme sour-dairy quality leading to the obvious, if unappetizing, analogy.

I'm thinking that the commercial product, at least, is an acquired taste, and that's why both Mike's Iranian vendor and mine were at pains to try to warn the uninitiated away from it.

Do you like sour cream, Robin? Same basic aroma and flavor to my taste.

How about all the varieties of soured milk -- German and Scandinavian, for example?

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

Do you like sour cream, Robin? Same basic aroma and flavor to my taste.

I do like sour cream, and creme fraiche, too. But to me, those foods don't have the same degree of tanginess as doogh.

How about all the varieties of soured milk -- German and Scandinavian, for example?

Not really part of my cultural background, but they don't sound particularly appetizing to me. I wouldn't care to slug back a glass of buttermilk, either.

My experiences with commercial bottled Iranian <i>doogh</i>, however, are consistent with Mike's, and an order of magnitude beyond any of these.

Different tastes, Robin. And different lactic acid bacteria. Something like the great variety of stinky cheeses, I suppose, and how different people react to them. Regards, Bob

There's a similar Turkish "aged yogurt" drink that isn't carbonated -- I'm drawing a blank on the name just now --

Ayran. I love the stuff. Tangy and salty at the same time. It doesn't sound refreshing, but it is!

There's also a Japanese fermented milk soda called "Calpico". It's been over a decade since I had it, but you can buy it at stores like Uwajimaya here in Seattle area. It comes in different flavors, but I only ever had the original. I don't remember it actually being fizzy, more like a thin flavoured drink. If you don't expect it to taste like milk, and don't expect it to taste like pop, it's not bad. Still a weird drink for my North American taste buds (and I'm asian enough to love bubble tea, mochi, and any red bean pastes!)