Lassi

For other uses, see Lassi (disambiguation).

Lassi

250px Fat-free lassi from Mumbai, India
Origin
Place of origin	India, Pakistan, Potohar Plateau
Region or state	Punjab
Dish details
Main ingredient(s)	Yogurt, cream

Lassi (Punjabi: ਲੱਸੀ, Hindi: लस्सी, Urdu: لسی,) is a popular and traditional Punjabi yogurt-based drink of India and Pakistan. It is made by blending yogurt with water or milk and Indian spices. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin. Sweet lassi, blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices, is also very popular.

In Dharmic religions, yogurt sweetened with honey is used while performing religious rituals. Less common is lassi served with milk and is topped with a thin layer of clotted cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment, mostly taken with lunch. With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis.

Variations

Traditional mild salted lassi

File:Mint lassi.jpg

Mint salted lassi from Pakistan.

This form of lassi is more common in villages of Pakistani Punjab & Indian Porbandar, Gujarat (India). It is prepared by blending yogurt with water and adding salt and other spices to taste. The resulting beverage is known as salted lassi.

Sweet lassi

Sweet lassi is a form of lassi flavored with sugar, rosewater and/or lemon, strawberry or other fruit juices. Saffron lassis, which are particularly rich, are a specialty of Sindh in Pakistan and Jodhpur and Rajasthan in India. Makkhaniya lassi is simply lassi with lumps of butter in it (makkhan is the Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati word for butter). It is usually creamy like a milkshake. Drinking sweet lassi can cause drowsiness, which might help people with sleep disorders.

Mango lassi

Mango lassi is most commonly found in Pakistani & Indian restaurants overseas. It is made from yogurt, milk or water and mango pulp. It may be made with or without additional sugar. It is widely available in UK, Malaysia and Singapore, due to the sizable Pakistani/Indian minority, and in many other parts of the world. In various parts of Canada, mango lassi is a cold drink consisting of sweetened kesar mango pulp mixed with yogurt, cream, or ice cream. It is served in a tall glass with a straw, often with ground pistachio nuts sprinkled on top.

Bhang lassi

Bhang lassi is a special lassi that contains bhang, a liquid derivative of cannabis(marijuana). , which has effects similar to other eaten forms of marijuana. It is legal in many parts of India and mainly sold during Holi, when pakoras containing bhang are also sometimes eaten. Rajasthan is known to have licensed bhang shops, and in many places one can buy bhang products and drink bhang lassis.

Chaas

Chaas or chaach is a salted drink like lassi; however, chaas contains more water than lassi and has the butterfat removed, so its consistency is not as thick as lassi. Salt and Jeera (cumin seeds) are normally added for taste and sometimes even fresh coriander. Fresh ground ginger & green chillies may also be added as seasoning. Chaas is popular in the north eastern Pakistani Punjab regions of Bhakkar and D.I. Khan, as well as the Indian states Gujarat and Rajasthan, where it is drunk with the main meal. It is known to aid digestion and is an excellent coolant in the Pakistani and Indian summers. It is called 'majjiga' in Telugu and 'moru' in Tamil and Malayalam.

Ayran

A drink in Turkey is similar to Lassi called Ayran. It is also made with yogurt and water. In Iran and Afghanistan a similar drink is called Doogh.

Tahn

Tahn is the Armenian version of the yogurt drink, consumed cold, with or without food. It is diluted with water and is flavored with salt.

Cultural references

A 2008 print and television ad campaign for HSBC, written by Jeffree Benet of JWT Hong Kong, tells a tale of a Polish washing machine manufacturer's representative sent to India to discover why their sales are so high there. On arriving, the representative investigates a Lassi parlour, where he is warmly welcomed, and finds several machines being used to mix Lassi. The owner tells him he is able to "make ten times as much Lassi as I used to!"

On his No Reservations television program, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain visited a "Govt Authorised" Bhang Shop in Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan. The proprietor offered him three varieties of bhang lassi: "normally strong, super duper sexy strong, and full power 24 hour, no toilet, no shower."

See also

• Doogh
• Cacık
• Kumis
• Dahi

External links

• Lassi Recipes (sweet and salty Lassi)
• An authentic Punjabi Lassi Recipe
• "Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Travel Guides - Highlights From Rajasthan". Retrieved 2008-01-19. bn:লাচ্ছি