Chaas

Chaas

A glass full of Chaas
Country of origin	India
Ingredients	Yogurt, water, spices

Chaas, also pronounced 'Chaach' and known by several other names in other Indian languages, is a yogurt-based drink popular across India. People in India have a tendency to translate Chaas into English as "buttermilk," but this would be a misnomer, and would convey an incorrect meaning to people whose mother-tongue is English.

Chaas is the name by which this beverage is known in the Gujarati and Urdu languages, and in some regions of Hindi-speaking north India. It is known as Mattha in other parts of Hindi-speaking north India, as Mor in Tamil, as Mooru in Malayalam, as majjige in Kannada and Telugu, as taak or tak in Marathi, as "gholaw dahi" in Odia and as ghol in Bengali.

Chaas is made by churning yogurt (curds/dahi) and cold water together in a pot, using a hand-held instrument called madhani (whipper). This can be consumed plain or seasoned with a variety of spices. Chaas can be made from fresh yogurt, and the natural flavour of such Chaas is mildly sweet. This type of Chaas is very close to Lassi, with two major differences: Chaas is more dilute (with water) than lassi and unlike lassi, Chaas does not have added sugar.

Although Chaas can be made from fresh yogurt (curds/dahi), it is more commonly made at home from yogurt that is a few days old and has become sour due to age. Indeed, one of the purposes for making Chaas at home is to usefully finish off old yogurt that is lying in the fridge for long. Such Chaas has a tangy, slightly sour taste which is considered delicious. A pinch of salt is usually added to it for further enhancement of taste, and other seasonings can be added also, as described below.

A third variation of Chaas is obtained by adding actual buttermilk (water left over after churning butter) into the Chaas. This gives a slightly sour-bitter taste to the final product, and it is necessary to add seasonings to mask these flavours. Chaas made using buttermilk is very healthy but the taste is not relished by all. However, if proper seasonings and spices are used, it can be delicious. This type of Chaas is more unusual and rare compared to the other types, because it is available only when butter is churned at home.