Raita (condiment)

Raita

A cucumber and mint raita
Alternative names	रायता, রাইতা Pachadi
Course	Condiment
Region or state	Indian subcontinent with regional variations
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Yogurt,buttermilk, cucumber, mint
Variations	Dahi chutney, Pachadi
Food energy (per serving)	46 kcal (193 kJ)

Raita is a common name of a condiment from the Indian subcontinent, notably in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, made with dahi (yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with raw or cooked vegetables, more seldom fruit, or in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan (chickpea flour, generally labelled as gram flour).

The closest approximation in western cuisine is a side dish or dip, or a cooked salad. It is often referred to as a condiment, but unlike traditional western condiments like salt, pepper, mustard and horseradish that made dishes more spicy, a dish of dahi or raita has a cooling effect to contrast with spicy curries and kebabs that are the main fare of some Asian cuisines. In Indian cuisine, some type of flatbread may be eaten together with raita, chutneys and pickles.

The yogurt may be seasoned with coriander, roasted cumin seeds; mint, cayenne pepper, chaat masala and other herbs and spices.

The word raita first appeared in print around the 19th century; it comes from the Hindi language. The word raita in Hindi and Urdu is a derivative of the Sanskrit word rajika, meaning black mustard, and tiktaka, meaning sharp or pungent. In South India, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu, traditional raita is called pachadi.

Raita is also sometimes simply called dahi, or "sourmilk", after its main ingredient, particularly in South African Indian cuisine.

Cumin (zīrā ) and black mustard (rāī ) are fried. This tempering is then mixed with minced, raw vegetables or fruits (such as cucumber, onion, carrot, pineapple, papaya) and yogurt.