Eating for the heat
South Asian and Middle Eastern summers can be brutal, and traditional cooking has long answers to them: cooling yogurt, sour fruits, roasted cumin and black salt to replace lost salts, and drinks served from clay pots. This collection gathers the recipes families turn to when it’s too hot to cook or eat heavily.
Drinks
- Yogurt-based: sweet lassi, mango lassi, masala chaas and Turkish ayran.
- Tangy and salty: shikanjvi, aam panna and jaljeera.
- Sweet sharbats: Rooh Afza milk, rose milk, kokum, bel and sattu.
- Dessert drinks: falooda and mango shake.
Light meals
Cool, fresh dishes are easier to eat in the heat: curd rice, lemon rice, fruit chaat, tabbouleh, Turkish çoban salatası and cacık, and raitas with everything.
Stay safe
Food spoils quickly in summer, especially with power cuts. Our summer food safety guide explains how long cooked food can safely sit out and how to store it. For more drink ideas, see Indian summer drinks and Pakistani summer drinks.