Spring

A savory yogurt drink, not for everyone

by:
July 29, 2010
5
1 Ratings
A savory yogurt drink, not for everyone
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Ground sumac, sapa, Ayran, coffee and honey come together for this drink. Sapa, which the ancient Romans used as a sweetener, combines a mild toffee aroma with a smokey taste. It is not hard to source: Nudo can send you a bottle almost the next day after you place your order. Ground sumac, readily available online as well, is an intensely dark red, crunchy, lemony tasting herb from the cashew family. An interesting breakfast drink. You could substitute buttermilk for the Ayran, or simply thin some very good Greek or Turkish yogurt with milk to make your own. —Sagegreen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup thick Greek orTurkish yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon sapa
  • 1 tablespoon acacia honey
  • 1 tablespoon strong coffee (from a cup you've just brewed)
  • 1 teaspoon ground sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • sprig of fresh spearmint
Directions
  1. Combine the main ingredients and serve chilled. Garnish with a spearmint leaf.
Tags:

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • SallyCan
    SallyCan
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen

Popular on Food52

4 Reviews

SallyCan
SallyCan July 29, 2010
I'm just curious enough to track down the ingredients and make this...is acacia honey essential, or would the honey from my honey guy down the street do?
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen July 29, 2010
Great! I think any low-key good quality honey would be fine. I have started quite the collection of varietal honey lately, and some can have a very distinctive, even overpowering taste. Since I tracked down sumac earlier and sapa recently, I am exploring their combinations. Because the sumac is a bit salty, and the sapa not that sweet, you need honey to balance this out. Let me know what you think.I seem to be on a roll with yogurt drinks lately.
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen July 29, 2010
I just made a dessert version which is thicker, creamier and tastier. I think the thinner versions of Ayran are not as good as the thicker ones. I love the thick creamy versions, I have to confess.
 
SallyCan
SallyCan July 30, 2010
There is a lot of differences in honey flavors, from location to location, and depending on the time of year, too. For this reason, I like getting it wherever we go. We started eating honey from our guy up the street to help with seasonal allergies, but then noticed how the flavor was so good. Do you make your own yogurt?