Lassi
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For a place in Kefallinia in Greece, see Lassi, Greece
Lassi is a traditional Indian beverage made by blending yogurt with water, salt, and spices until frothy, and enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment. Traditional lassi is salty and sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin and chilli pepper.
Variations
Sweet lassi is a more recent invention, flavored with sugar, rosewater and/or lemon, mango, strawberry or other fruit juice. Saffron lassis, which are particularly rich, are a specialty of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Lassi has also become quite popular on hot summer days in Turkey, where it typically contains only water, salt, yoghurt and lemon.
In areas of the Middle East including Iran and Lebanon, a similar salty yogurt beverage, named doogh, is popular.
During 2002, commercial products resembling sweet lassi began appearing on the U.S. market, with names like "Drinking Yogurt" and "Yogurt Smoothie".
Bhang Lassi
Bhang Lassi is a special lassi that contains bhang, a liquid derivative of cannabis, which has effects similar to other eaten forms of marijuana. It is legal in many parts of India and mainly used for religious purposes, particularly during Holi, when pakoras containing bhang are also sometimes eaten. Rajasthan is known to have licensed bhang shops, and in many places you can buy bhang products and drink bhang lassis. Many guidebooks warn foreign tourists against trying Bangh Lassi because of the risks of serious intoxication.