Referred to as the “ancient smoothie”, lassi is recognized as the first smoothie drink in the ancient world. Although lassi itself is a large category for this blog I will be focusing on the most popular variation mango lassi. I will come back and talk about the other types on a later date.
Mango lassi is a traditional Indian drink from Punjab, a region in northwest India. It originated sometime around 1000 BC and was said to have Ayurvedic healing properties, calming the stomach and the mind. While the actual benefits of lassi are arguable, there are various studies of the matter, one of which can be found here. The argument being that since Lassi is produced of yogurt or dahi, it is said to be very beneficial for our stomach. It is moderate on the belly and consists of lactobacilli which are stable microbes that grease up the digestive organs and help in smooth processing lassi is a sound and regular reply for stomach swelling. In the ancient world where medicine was not as developed, this would be extremely helpful, although India was ahead of the world at this time when it came to scientific advancement. It makes sense that the medical properties of the drink were found in this region of the world as the eastern world was far ahead when it came to scientific advancement. Some of the medical achievements can be found here.
Mango lassi is a creamy drink made with mango, yogurt, milk, a little jaggery, and various spices depending on personal preference. The most common of these spices tend to be cardamom, and the jaggery can be substituted for sugar, but the general favor profile will remain largely the same. The main difference between mango lassis is the type of mango used. The first big question is frozen or fresh. Fresh is obviously preferred, but mangoes are not always in season, so frozen is also quite acceptable. The much larger question is how ripe the mangoes are. It all comes down to personal preference. Ripened mangos are much sweeter and thus result in a much sweeter drink. Unripe mangoes are more sour and result in a slightly sour tang to the drink. There is no clear winner over which is better, as it all comes down to personal preference. I personally find the taste of ripe mangos to be fuller and like the drink better is made with ripe mangos. It just feels fresher to me. A recipe can be found here, so you the reader can try it out for yourself. Maybe mix and match the spices and other ingredients and find what you like best.
I LOVE smoothies so I will definitely have to try this out! Earlier today I was actually thinking about maybe making a raspberry sorbet this weekend, but now that you have provided a recipe for a mango lassi, I might try that instead! Love the blog post, especially since it contains some cultural history and references to key aspects of India, while also connecting it to this awesome drink! Can’t wait to read more
As someone who drinks a lot of lassi at home, I definitely appreciated everything you said in this post. Although I knew that lassi contained yogurt (which is of course probiotic), I never really thought about the science behind why it calms the stomach, so I appreciate the link to the research paper. Although fresh mangoes are always the way to go when they are in season, I prefer frozen mangoes during the winter. I wonder what impact freezing fresh fruits has on their flavor profile. And finally, while I can appreciate the virtues of ripe and sweet mangoes, I personally prefer unripe a tad more.
I enjoyed learning about mango lassi. It’s interesting how it’s a variant of one of the first smoothies in the ancient world, and it seems like it is pretty healthy as well, especially at a time where science was not as particularly developed as it is today. I myself am a big fan of mangoes, and they are pristine even by themselves. I do personally enjoy a sweeter taste to my mangoes, but there is nothing wrong with a tangier taste. This smoothie seems like something I would definitely try sometime!