flipMint and Herb Doogh
Mint and Herb Doogh
Why this dish? Al-Biruni's profile notes that he drank fermented milk in the Central Asian manner. Doogh, beaten fermented milk diluted with water, is the quintessential thirst-quencher of the Khwarezm heat and the Indus plains he traveled.
A cool, slightly fizzy and tangy drink made from beaten fermented milk, cold water, dried mint, and a pinch of salt. Refreshing and digestive.
Under the Indus sun, the mind wanders and the hand trembles on the astrolabe; then one must drink. I beat the sour milk with fresh well water, a pinch of salt, and dried mint crushed between my palms. Drink it slowly: it cools the blood, soothes the stomach weighed down by meat, and restores clarity to thought. The physicians of my time held it as wholesome as it is pleasant, and I have never found a better remedy against the torpor of summer afternoons.
- •Fermented milk (kefir / sour milk) — a bowlful (base)
- •Fresh water — as much (dilution)
- •Dried mint — a pinch (aroma)
- •Salt — a pinch (balance)
Mint and Herb Doogh
A cool, slightly fizzy and tangy drink made from beaten fermented milk, cold water, dried mint, and a pinch of salt. Refreshing and digestive.
Why this dish? Al-Biruni's profile notes that he drank fermented milk in the Central Asian manner. Doogh, beaten fermented milk diluted with water, is the quintessential thirst-quencher of the Khwarezm heat and the Indus plains he traveled.
Under the Indus sun, the mind wanders and the hand trembles on the astrolabe; then one must drink. I beat the sour milk with fresh well water, a pinch of salt, and dried mint crushed between my palms. Drink it slowly: it cools the blood, soothes the stomach weighed down by meat, and restores clarity to thought. The physicians of my time held it as wholesome as it is pleasant, and I have never found a better remedy against the torpor of summer afternoons.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fermented milk (kefir / sour milk) — a bowlful (base)
- Fresh water — as much (dilution)
- Dried mint — a pinch (aroma)
- Salt — a pinch (balance)
Ingredients
- Plain yogurt (or kefir) — 250 g (base)
- Cold water (still or sparkling) — 250 ml (dilution)
- Dried mint — 1 tsp (aroma)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
- Ice cubes — a few (chill (optional))
Method
- Whisk the yogurt vigorously with the water until smooth and frothy.
- Rub the dried mint between your palms to powder it, then add.
- Lightly salt and stir.
- Serve well chilled, with a few ice cubes. For a fizzy version, use sparkling water.
How it was made : Beating fermented milk and diluting it with water is one of the oldest ways of drinking milk in the Turco-Iranian world (*doogh*, *ayran*). Salty and minty, the drink was prized for its digestive virtues by Arab-Persian medicine, which classified foods according to their 'hot' or 'cold' qualities.
The contemporary twist : A slice of cucumber and a few dried rose petals floating on the surface: an 'astronomer's study' doogh, elegant and refreshing.
Al-Biruni · Charactorium
