Masala buttermilk is the drink that sits beside an Indian lunch the way a glass of water sits beside ours. Cold, salty, gently sour, with roasted cumin, ginger and a whisper of green chilli: what the menu quietly calls “spiced buttermilk” is one of the oldest drinks on the subcontinent. In North India it is chaas, in Tamil Nadu neer mor, in Kerala sambaram, and everywhere it is poured when the sun is fierce or the food was hot.

At a glance

Name: masala buttermilk, in India masala chaas, neer mor (Tamil), majjiga (Telugu) or sambaram (Malayalam)
Origin: all over India; most popular in the South, Gujarat and Rajasthan
Flavour: salty, tangy, light, with a toasty note of cumin and a soft kick of ginger and chilli
Key ingredients: yoghurt, water, salt, roasted cumin, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, asafoetida
Eat it with: anything fried or fiery: bathura, pav bhaji, papadam

From by-product to national drink

The word chaas comes from the Sanskrit chacchika: yoghurt churned until the butter has separated and been taken out. That is exactly what buttermilk was in Indian villages for thousands of years, the thin, sour liquid left behind when thick yoghurt is churned into butter. Nothing was thrown away. With salt and a few spices the leftover became a drink that was as natural at the edge of a field as at a royal court.

The literature shows how old the habit is. Buttermilk is mentioned in the Vedas, and in Ayurveda it is called takra, a light, cooling drink that is said to help digestion. It is also the basis of a well-known treatment called takradhara, in which buttermilk is poured in a steady stream over the forehead to calm the mind. Tradition even records a king of the Chalukya dynasty sipping it at banquets. Buttermilk in India was never a poor man’s drink; it belonged to everyone’s day.

Why the South drinks the most

The hot South and the desert regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan drink more buttermilk than anywhere else, and the reason is practical. It replaces the water and salt the body loses when sweating. Anyone coming in from work in the sun was handed a glass of salted buttermilk first. Traditionally it was kept for a few hours in an earthenware pot, which keeps it cool without a fridge and lends a faintly earthy scent. Street vendors still serve it in little clay cups today.

In India a glass of spiced buttermilk belongs to the meal the way a glass of water belongs to ours.

How masala buttermilk is made

Almost nothing is cooked. Masala buttermilk depends on good yoghurt, the right ratio of yoghurt to water and a few small moves that make all the difference.

1. Whisking the yoghurt

The base is fresh, slightly sour yoghurt. It is whisked smooth first, then thinned with cold water. In the North the ratio is about two parts water to one part yoghurt; in Tamil Nadu neer mor, literally “water buttermilk”, is often thinner still, up to four parts water to one of yoghurt. It used to be beaten in a clay pot with a wooden churn called a madhani; today a blender does the job. The aim is a drink that is lightly frothy and completely free of lumps.

2. The masala

Now the masala, the seasoning, goes in. Salt is essential, and in North India that often means kala namak, the sulphurous black salt with its savoury tang. Then comes cumin, dry-roasted and freshly ground, which gives the buttermilk its nutty, toasty depth. Finely grated ginger and a little green chilli add gentle heat, chopped coriander and mint add freshness. In the South, torn curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida join in, a resin whose aroma sits somewhere between onion and garlic.

3. The tadka

The South Indian version finishes with a tadka: mustard seeds are fried in a spoonful of hot oil until they pop, then asafoetida and curry leaves follow. The hot oil is poured straight into the cold buttermilk. It hisses for a second and the spices release their flavour into the liquid. After that the buttermilk rests in the fridge for an hour or two. Some families strain it before serving; others leave the bits of chilli and ginger in on purpose.

What does masala buttermilk taste like?

Anyone trying it for the first time tends to expect something sweet, like lassi, and gets a surprise. Masala buttermilk is salty and tangy, as light as water yet creamy on the finish. Roasted cumin brings warmth and depth, ginger a fine heat that refreshes rather than burns. Chilli and curry leaves taste more of a green garden than of fire. After a hot meal it works like a reset for the palate: the yoghurt binds the chilli, the acidity clears the mouth, the salt gives back what the body sweated out.

Temperature matters. Lukewarm buttermilk tastes flat; properly chilled and freshly frothed, it is one of the most refreshing drinks Indian cooking knows.

Chaas, lassi or supermarket buttermilk?

Three drinks that are easily mixed up:

Masala buttermilk (chaas, neer mor): thin, salty, spiced, drunk with or after a meal. In India it is the everyday drink.
Lassi: thicker, made with more yoghurt and less water, usually sweet, often with mango or rose. More a dessert in a glass than a thirst-quencher.
Buttermilk from a British or German supermarket: today mostly cultured from milk, plainly sour on its own and used mainly for baking and marinades. Indian buttermilk starts from yoghurt and is always seasoned.

One drink, many names: buttermilk across India

Few Indian drinks have as many names, and every region seasons it differently.

Gujarat and Rajasthan: chhash or khati chaas, usually just salt and cumin, served with the thali and drunk against the desert heat.
Maharashtra: taak, the Marathi name, mostly simply salted and drunk with everyday meals.
North India and Bihar: mattha, the spiciest version, with mint and cumin, and sometimes even lightly smoked before serving.
Tamil Nadu: neer mor, very thin, with ginger, chilli, curry leaves and a mustard-seed tadka. On the festival of Ram Navami it is traditionally prepared as an offering and handed out as prasadam, blessed food.
Kerala and Andhra Pradesh: sambaram and majjiga, close to the Tamil original; in Kerala it is often finished with green chilli and curry leaves sizzled in hot oil.

There are cousins beyond India too: Turkish ayran and Persian doogh are also salted, diluted yoghurt drinks. What makes the Indian version its own is the masala, the seasoning of cumin, ginger and curry leaves.

What to eat with masala buttermilk

In South India the glass of buttermilk stands next to the thali and is sipped between bites; the last spoonful of rice is often mixed straight into it. It is at its best with anything rich, fried or fiery:

Bathura: the puffed, deep-fried bread is heavy and filling; tangy buttermilk lightens it.
Pav bhaji: the classic counterpoint to the buttery, spiced vegetable mash.
Papadam and pickles: crisp and salty meets cool and mild, a pairing found on every Indian table.
Hot curries: Chettinad, or anything you order with real Indian spice. The buttermilk takes the heat away.

Masala buttermilk at Masalas

On our South Indian menu in Berlin-Köpenick you will find masala buttermilk as spiced buttermilk, the way it is drunk with a meal in India. It goes with dosa, idli and sambar just as well as with a robust North Indian curry. We cook without alcohol, and there is none in our drinks either.

If you prefer it simpler, order the plain buttermilk: yoghurt, salt, water and roasted jeera, nothing else. Both are available for delivery and pickup.

At Masalas, Berlin-Köpenick