A Complete Guide to Ayran in Turkey: Market, Classic & Yayık

If you’ve recently been to Turkey, this has almost certainly happened to you:

You bought ayran.
Took a sip.
And thought:

“Why is this sour… salty… and basically tastes like spoiled kefir?”

Congratulations 🙂 You just tried the wrong ayran.

In Turkey, ayran isn’t divided into tasty and not tasty — it’s split into three different types. Essentially, these are three completely different drinks.

1️⃣ Market Ayranı – supermarket ayran

This is ayran from chains like BİM, A101, Şok (brands: Dost, Mis, and others).

What it is:
Yogurt + water + salt, a highly standardized product.

Characteristics:

• the cheapest option
• refreshing in the heat
• mild milky taste
• almost no noticeable sourness
• often quite watery

Important: this isn’t bad ayran. It’s a “thirst-quencher.”

People drink it:

• at the beach
• on the go
• construction workers
• just to wash down some pide

But this isn’t the ayran Turks truly love.

2️⃣ Klasik Ayran – classic factory-made ayran

This is the ayran served in most cafes and restaurants.

Main brands:

• Sütaş
• İçim
• Pınar
• Torku

Flavor changes:

• noticeable sourness appears
• natural milky taste is present
• the drink is filling
• perfect with meat

This is the universal standard.

If you don’t know what to choose — go with Sütaş. It’s the taste benchmark for ayran in Turkey.

3️⃣ Yayık Ayran – the real ayran

This is where the magic begins.

Historically, it was made by nomadic Yörüks: yogurt was poured into a leather bag and shaken for a long time.

The result was:

• cold
• frothy
• slightly thick

Turks consider this the real ayran; everything else is just a variation.

How to recognize yayık:

• foam on top
• sometimes served with a spoon
• not watery
• pronounced refreshing sourness
• after kebab, the heaviness disappears

The first taste may feel unusual. By the 3rd–5th sip, you may become hooked 🙂

Best Ayran Brands in Turkey

Southern Turkey (Antalya – Mersin – Adana):
→ Yörükoğlu – closest to restaurant taste

All over Turkey:
→ Eker – rich “kebab-style” taste

Middle ground:
→ Sütaş – consistent standard

Mild farm taste:
→ Torku

Budget option:
→ Dost – just to refresh

Main rule for Turks

Ayran isn’t just a drink. It’s part of the meal.

It’s drunk with:

• kebab
• döner
• lahmacun
• pide

And never — with sweets.

Why?

Salt and lactic acid bacteria help digest fatty meat.

Essentially, ayran is:

• a natural probiotic
• a natural isotonic drink

That’s why after shawarma with cola you feel heavy, but with ayran — light.

How to choose ayran in a store in 10 seconds

See the label:

Yayık ayran → take it. Almost always the best choice.

If it’s not available:

Sütaş – a safe choice.

Want the most Turkish experience — say in a kebab shop:

Bir köpüklü yayık ayran

(bir köpüklü yayık ayran — “frothy ayran”)

After that, you won’t drink cola with meat anymore 😉