John Myers
Kefir and Ayran are soft drinks originating in the Caucasus in north-eastern Turkey. While there are clear differences in the production, their effect is the same: Due to the lactic acid bacteria contained in both drinks, both kefir and ayran can contribute to the development and maintenance of a healthy intestinal flora. The drinks are also refreshing thanks to their slightly sour taste.
For kefir, so-called kefir grains (also: kefir mushroom or Tibetan mushroom) are placed in cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk for one to two days. The tubers contain various lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and acetic acid bacteria, so the milk ferments, forming carbonic acid, carbon dioxide and some alcohol. The temperatures during fermentation are between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius. At lower temperatures the alcohol content is higher at the end, at higher temperatures more lactic acid is formed.
To prevent the kefir from spoiling during the fermentation process, pasteurized or UHT milk should be used, or the milk should be boiled before production. The kefir grains can be used several times if you rinse them with a little cold water. They must then be protected from heat and light. It is best to keep it in a glass with water and milk. The bulbs can also be dried or frozen.
In contrast to kefir, ayran is a mixed drink made from yoghurt, water and salt. Two parts yoghurt are whipped with one part water and seasoned with a pinch of salt. Full-fat yogurt based on sheep’s or cow’s milk is used for Ayran. The lactic acid bacteria that make yoghurt out of the milk are different from those in kefir. In contrast to kefir, the yoghurt drink also contains no alcohol.
Ayran also has sweet, fruit-flavored versions that resemble Indian lassi. In addition, classic Ayran is flavored with lemon balm, mint or basil. Another variant is, for example, the Armenian drink Tan, which is usually made from goat’s milk yoghurt with cucumber juice, dill, other herbs or black pepper.
Hello. Thanks for explaining the differences. I live in Turkey and i could not even tell you the difference between the two. Although they are both sort of salty and sour they do taste differently. Ayran seems to be more creamy and kefir is a little more watery. I find that ayran somehow makes me sleepy and even helps me sleep well sometimes. So i usually drink that at night. Both drinks are very healthy however. Another thing I noticed is that in many restaurants say for lunch it is typical to have a post meal coffee or tea or ayran. The ayran comes in small single serve 400ml bottles. But i never see places selling post meal kefir. Kefir in the store is mostly in one liter or two liter bottles. I did not grow up in this land so I have no insight into why it is more common for post meal ayran than kefir but if i can remember i will ask one of my friends about it. Both drinks are very similar. Another thing i noticed lately from the store is that the kefir costs almost twice as much as the ayran. Which makes absolutely no sense to me because their nutritional pllrofiles are very similar and as of last year their prices at the store were very similar. I still buy both I like both but probably my preference is ayran because i often have sleep difficulties and it seems to help with that. Drinking all this strong coffee and black tea probably does not help with that though i try to moderate it somewhat.