Kashk ( Kašk, ), qurut (Tuvan and , , , , , , Turkish: kurut), chortan ( chort’an), or aaruul and khuruud (Mongolian: ааруул or хурууд) is a range of dairy products used in cuisines of Afghan, Iranian, Turkish, Kurdish, Mongolian, Central Asian, Transcaucasian and the Levantine people. Kashk is made from drained yogurt (in particular, drained qatiq) or drained sour milk by shaping it and letting it dry. It can be made in a variety of forms, like rolled into balls, sliced into strips, and formed into chunks. There are three main kinds of food products with this name: foods based on curdled milk products like yogurt or cheese; foods based on barley broth, bread, or flour; and foods based on cereals combined with curdled milk. Etymology from Middle Persian (kšk' / kašk), thought to have came from (hwš- / hōš-, "dry.") in reference to the fermentation process which involves drying under the sun. The term was loaned to numerous languages including Arabic, Syriac, Turkish, Azerbaijani and many others. In Armenian - chortan (chor means "dry" and tan means "buttermilk") Background The ancient form of kashk is a porridge of grains fermented with whey and dried in the sun. The long shelf-life and nutritional value of kashk made it a useful item for peasants during the winter months, as well as soldiers and travelers. Kashk is the origin of tarhana found in the moderns cuisines of Turkey and Greece, where it is called trachanas (). Modern kashk is usually a dish of dried buttermilk that can be crumbled and turned into a paste with water. This coarse powder can be used to thicken soups and stews and improve their flavor, or as an ingredient in various meat, rice or vegetable dishes. Drying allows a longer shelf life for the product. Kashk is also central to the staple Iranian eggplant dish known as kashk-e bademjan. Kashk in different languages and cultures Kashk dairy products are traditionally Iranian and can be found in the cuisines of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, the Caucasus, and Turkey. In some languages it is called kashk or kishkh, (, , , ), qurut in others (, , , , , , , , ). There are many varied names for this class of dishes including jameed (), chortan () and aaruul, khuruud (). Chortan is mentioned in the 19th century Armenian epic poem Daredevils of Sassoun,