Food & Drink · Persian culture
What is Doogh?
دوغpronounced DOOGH
Doogh (دوغ) is a savory drink of yogurt whisked with water (still or sparkling), salt, and dried mint — sometimes with cucumber or rose petals if someone's showing off. It's ancient, it's refreshing in a way sweet drinks can't touch, and it divides every table into devotees and people who took one sip at age nine and never recovered.
The carbonated bottled kind hisses like a soda and tastes like a salty cloud; the homemade kind is judged by its mint-to-salt ratio. With a plate of koobideh on a hot day, doogh has no rivals — this is not an opinion Iranians consider debatable.
Why Doogh matters in Persian culture
Doogh is a loyalty test and a comfort object at once. Diaspora kids who grew up explaining "it's like a salty lassi, kind of" to confused friends know: loving doogh means the culture took.
In the game
Doogh is one of 250 cards in Culture Cards: Persian Edition. Here's how it shows up at game night:
Play the game that gets Persian culture
250 cards of tarof, tahdig, and everything your Persian family will recognize instantly.
Keep exploring
Food & Drink
Kabab Koobideh
Koobideh is Persian ground-meat kabab — seasoned, pressed onto flat skewers, and grilled over open flame until impossibly juicy.
Food & Drink
Ghormeh Sabzi
Ghormeh sabzi is Iran's beloved herb stew — deep green, tangy with dried limes, and fiercely defended as the national dish.
Food & Drink
Tahdig
Tahdig is the golden, crispy layer of rice from the bottom of the pot — the most fought-over food at any Persian table.