Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Fermented milk from Bangladesh

Borhaniবোরহানি

Borhani is a savoury, spiced drink made by blending sour curd (tok doi) with mint, ground spices, chilli, salt, sugar and water, then straining it over ice. It is a boundary entry, a drink mixed from a ferment with no fermentation of its own, like lassi and chaas. Made in 4 steps over 5 h. The longest step, set the sour curd, takes 5 h (Bari A 2020) and runs at 42 °C (Bari A 2020). Salt is 0.8 % (Bari A 2020). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step5 hReported[bari2020]Set the sour curd
Temperature42 °CReported[bari2020]Set the sour curd
Salt0.8 %Reported[bari2020]Blend the curd with spices, sugar, salt and water
AciditypH 4–4.3Measured[bari2020]Strain through muslin and add ice
Fully documentedFermented milk5 hMore fermented milkMore from Bangladesh

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe lab recipe of Bari et al. 2020 for 1 kg of curd, tested with whole-milk, skim-milk and powdered-milk curds; whole-milk curd scored best.
1.0 kgSour milk curd[bari2020]
300 mLWater[bari2020]
20 gMint paste[bari2020]
5 g eachGround coriander, ground cumin, ground white mustard[bari2020]
3.5 gGround white pepper[bari2020]
5 g eachGreen chilli paste, tamarind extract[bari2020]
7 gRock salt[bari2020]
5 gSalt[bari2020]
160 gSugar[bari2020]
100 mLIce · Added after straining[bari2020]
Starteruses finished doi; the curd is set with a mixed yoghurt starter

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 h

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
40–45 °C

What changes: The milk is boiled, then cooled until it is warm

Step 1 of 4
Boil the milk and cool it
Time
Not documented
Temperature
40–45 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Output: boiled milk ready for starter.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Borhani is a drink blended from sour curd, not a ferment in its own right. Unlike sweet lassi it is savoury and hot with mustard, chilli and pepper, and unlike chaas it keeps the curd thick and is strained over ice.

Boundary
A drink made from a ferment (sour curd); there is no second fermentation, as with lassi and chaas

Related ferments

Variants

  • Whole-milk, skim-milk and powdered-milk borhaniSkim-milk borhani is the most sour (pH 3.95); whole-milk borhani scored best on taste and body.
  • Home borhani with sweet doiSome home recipes mix a little sweet doi into the sour doi (bn.wikipedia).

Safety

The curd sets at pH 3.95–4.25, which keeps most pathogens down, but the raw herbs, water and ice are added after it sets. A survey of 50 Dhaka dairy products found coliforms in borhani up to the 10^9 dilution and Salmonella in about 17 % of the products. Lab borhani made with boiled milk and clean water had no coliforms. Use boiled milk, clean water and clean ice, and drink it fresh.

Hazards the sources name: Coliforms, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus spp. (in Dhaka dairy products sold on the street and in shops, borhani among them).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Borhani is drunk in Dhaka and Chittagong at weddings and iftar gatherings in Ramadan, usually after heavy dishes such as biryani, morog polao and tehari (Wikipedia). Its origin is not documented in the sources read.

  1. [bari2020] Bari A., Hossain M.A., Camy M.L.Y. et al. 2020, Evaluation of borhani prepared from whole milk, skim milk and full cream powdered milk curd, Asian-Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 4(2):58–65, doi:10.3329/aajfss.v4i2.53882paper
  2. [hossain2017] Hossain M.N., Humayun S., Haque M.Z., Ahmed M.M. 2017, Microbiological quality assessment and acceptance of dairy products in Dhaka city, Asian-Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 1(1):58–64, doi:10.3329/aajfss.v1i1.55762 (abstract)paper
  3. [wp] Wikipedia, Borhani; bn.wikipedia বোরহানি (outline; when it is served)wiki