Lassi is a yogurt-based drink from the Indian subcontinent, made by blending yogurt with water or milk and typically sweetened with sugar or flavored with fruit, or, in savory versions common in Punjab, salted and spiced with roasted cumin. It belongs to a long tradition of dairy consumption on the subcontinent that stretches back to the pastoral communities described in the earliest Vedic texts, though no specific point of origin can be fixed for lassi itself as a drink distinct from the broader, ancient practice of fermenting and drinking yogurt and buttermilk; it is better understood as one expression of a very old dairy culture than as a dish with a datable point of invention. Mango lassi, blending yogurt with mango pulp, is a widely popular modern variant, especially outside South Asia.
Facts
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year) Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own accountPunjab, in the northern Indian subcontinent 2 Connections
Expresses Tradition
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Uses Ingredient
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidsontier 1
Sources
1. Lassi (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraphQuote, Lead paragraph
The word 'lassi' for the drink is a borrowing from Hindi, first attested in 1882; its ultimate origin is unclear, and has been suggested as derived ultimately from Sanskrit lasya (stickiness) or rasah (juice).
View the Source 2. Lassi (TasteAtlas)
The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014
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