Alan Davidson

Lassi

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Lassi an Indian yoghurt drink of which there are two versions: salted and sweet. In both versions, it is a popular street food as well as being made in homes.

The quality of the yoghurt is very important for a good lassi. It should be slightly sour so that when diluted with water it still retains a strong yoghurt flavour. It should also be creamy otherwise the lassi will taste watery.

The sweet version is known as metha lassi. It often just has sugar added, but is sometimes flavoured with rose-water; and in Bengal a squirt of gondo lebu (scented lime) may be added. The salted version often contains spices such as roasted cumin seeds or black pepper. In S. India the spices added may be a paste of ground green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves, and garlic.