What it means
کشک (kashk) is a thick, salty, sour dairy product made from the leftover whey and curds of yogurt or buttermilk, drained and dried, then reconstituted with water into a creamy drizzle or dip. It is the signature topping on dishes like kashk-e bademjan (eggplant) and ash-e reshteh. It comes in both a liquid jarred form and a hard dried form called کشک خشک (kashk-e khoshk). It is not the same as ماست (mast, yogurt), though both start from milk: kashk is sharper, saltier, and far more concentrated.
How to use it
- روی بادمجون کشک بریز. (ru-ye bademjun kashk beriz.) “Drizzle some kashk over the eggplant.”
- این کشک خیلی شوره. (in kashk kheyli shure.) “This kashk is very salty.”
- آش بدون کشک مزه نداره. (ash bedun-e kashk maze nadare.) “Ash has no flavor without kashk.”
- کشک رو با آب رقیق کن. (kashk ro ba ab raghigh kon.) “Thin the kashk with some water.”
Cultural note
Kashk is one of the oldest ways Iranians preserved dairy, since the dried form keeps for a long time without refrigeration, which mattered greatly for nomadic and rural households. It is the defining garnish of kashk-e bademjan, drizzled on at the end along with fried mint and caramelized onion. There is also a famous Persian saying, کشکت رو بساب (kashket ro besab), literally “grind your kashk,” used to tell someone to mind their own business.