Beverages

"A drink for human consumption"

Beverages are another name for a drink that has been specially made to be consumed by humans. Apart from being one of the basic needs of a human being its different forms share their identity with different cultures of the world. Beverages are of different types. It can either be alcoholic such as wine, beer or other types of liquor or alcohol. Non-alcoholic beverages can also be said to be soft drinks or drinks that do not contain alcohol. Aerated drinks, colas, fruit punch, lemonades etc come under this category. Hot beverages may include tea, coffee and shakes. Fruit juices are also included when we talk about beverages.

There are different beverages of different countries and the most popular beverage of India is Lassi. It is the specialty and popular drink of Punjab and made of yogurt. The yogurt is whipped until it is smooth and thick with very little water and sugar and salt is added according to ones liking. Lassi can also be said to be yogurt shake. The sweetened lassi when mixed with sliced fruits like mango, strawberry etc become mango lassi and strawberry lassi respectively. When sweet lassi is mixed with essence or flavor of rose and a bit of red color it is rose lassi. The butterfat that is present in the yogurt plays a very important role in making lassi.

When making lassi there are certain things that need to be kept in mind. The liquid of the curd should be discarded. Old curd should not be used. Adding heavy cream before whipping the curd traps the air and makes it thick and creamy. Lassi can be made with a wooden hand mixer or an electric blender. Chach is another cool drink but it is much easier to digest than lassi. Chach is not lassi but it is the leftover of churned yogurt after the butter has been taken out.

In India in every nook and corner we find people selling Nimbu sarbat or lemon water. It is nothing but lemon juice added to water and salt or sugar is added to it according to ones taste.

Another favorite beverage that can be served either hot or cold is tea or chai as it is called in India. Indian tea is made by adding equal proportions of milk and water and letting it come to a boil. When it boils tea leaves are added which gives it color as well as flavor and after a few minutes sugar is added accordingly. The strength of the tea color depends on the time it is boiled. Then it is stained and served. This is plain tea. When making tea ginger or cardamom can be crushed and added to it to enhance its flavor. Apart from that freshly grounded spices like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and pepper can be added to tea to make a delicious satisfying and healthy beverage which is also known as masala tea. Masala tea is a typical Indian variety of tea which has been preferred by people all over since hundreds of years.

Thali