Tzatziki

Tzatziki(Greek:τζατζίκι,tzatzíki,Greek:[d͡zaˈd͡zici]), also known ascacık(Turkish:[dʒaˈdʒɯk]) ortarator, is a class ofdip,soup, orsaucefound in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of saltedstrained yogurtor diluted yogurtmixed withcucumbers,garlic, salt,olive oil, red wine vinegar, sometimes withlemon juice, and herbs such asdill,mint,parsleyandthyme.It is served as a coldappetiser(meze), aside dish, and as a sauce forsouvlakiandgyrossandwiches and other foods.
The wordtzatzikiappeared in English around the mid-20th century as aloanwordfromModern Greek(τζατζίκι), which in turn comes from theTurkishwordcacık.The root is likely related to several words in West Asian languages.Persianzhazh(ژاژ) refers to various herbs used for cooking, andKurdishjaj or ژاژ refers to thecarawayherb.That word is combined with the Turkish diminutive suffix-cıkto yieldcacık. It may be related to anArmenianword,cacıg.According toSevan Nişanyanthe Armenian word may itself come from Turkish or Kurdish.
Evliya Çelebi's 1665travelogue, theSeyahatnâme, definedcacıχ(cacıg) as a kind of herb that is added to food.The modern termcacık(جاجیك) was mentioned in print for the first time in 1844 inKâmil Pasha'sMelceü't-Tabbâhîn(The Sanctuary of Cooks), the first Ottoman cookbook, in which the basic description is given as "yogurt with cucumber and garlic" (hıyar ve sarmısaklı yoğurt).
The formtarator, found in languages from the Balkans to the Levant, may be of Persian origin, with derivative forms now found in a range of countries.
Taratorwas the name of a dish made of ground walnuts and vinegar in theOttoman Empire. Dishes of various preparations in the region, including dips, salads, and sauces, acquired the name. In theLevant,taratoris a sauce based ontahini, while inTurkeyand theBalkansit came to mean a combination of yogurt and cucumbers, sometimes with walnuts. It has become a traditional part ofmeze.
Greek-style tzatziki sauce is commonly served as ameze, to be eaten with bread, fried eggplant, or zucchini.
Tzatziki is made ofstrained yogurt(usually fromsheepor goat milk) mixed withcucumbers, garlic, salt,olive oil, red winevinegar, anddillormintorparsley.
A variation made withpurslane(glistridain Greek) may be calledglistrida me yiaourti, meaning 'purslane and yogurt salad', rather than tzatziki. One simple recipe calls for purslane, olive oil, red wine vinegar and dill.Another is made with purslane, mint,cilantro, parsley and groundcoriander, along with the standard yogurt-cucumber base.
Turkishcacıkis made by combining water and yogurt together with garlic and different combinations of vegetables and herbs.Labnemay be substituted for some of theyogurt.
Turkish cacik also has many variations, different recipes usewheat berries,carrots,scallions, mint,radish, red pepper,parsley,dill,basil,chondrilla juncea,vinegar, walnuts, hazelnuts and unripe almonds.
Forcacıklı arap köftesi,koftamade from a mix ofbulgurand ground meat is served overcacık. In this case thecacıkis made withchardrather than the usual cucumber (spinachorparsleymay be substituted for the chard. Some recipes usepurslane).Bulgurlu madımak cacığıis made with cracked wheat, cucumber and a type ofknotweedcalledmadımak.
Taratoris found in many Balkan countries. It is often prepared as a coldsoup, popular in the summer. It is made of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, walnut, dill, vegetable oil, and water, and is served chilled or even with ice. Local variations may replace yogurt with water and vinegar, omit nuts or dill, or add bread. The cucumbers may on rare occasions be replaced with lettuce or carrots.
A thicker variation is sometimes known as "drytarator", or asSnezhankasalad, which means 'Snow Whitesalad', and is served as anappetiseror side dish. During preparation, the yogurt is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water. The cucumbers, garlic, mincedwalnuts, salt and vegetable oil are then added.
InBulgaria,taratoris a popularmeze(appetiser), but is also served as a side dish along withShopska saladwith some meals.Sunflower oilandolive oilare more commonly used, and the walnuts are sometimes omitted.Taratoris seasoned with garlic and dill, both of which can be omitted. It's a popular dish in Bulgaria and a common refresher during the summer.
InAlbania,taratoris a very popular dish in the summertime. It is usually served cold and is normally made from yogurt, garlic, parsley, cucumber, salt and olive oil. Fried squid is often offered withtarator. Other similar Albanian variants areSalcë KosiandXaxiq.
InNorth Macedonia,taratoris popular summer cold dish or meze made from yogurt or "kiselo mleko", cucumbers, garlic and sometimes dill.
InCyprus, the dish is known asταλαττούρι("talattouri")and is similar to the Greek recipe with a more characteristic flavour of mint and added acidity in the form of lemon juice.
It is made from strained yogurt, sliced cucumbers, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice and sprinkled with dried mint, oregano or olive oil.
InIraq,jajeekis often served asmeze.It may accompany alcoholic drinks, especiallyarak, anouzo-like drink made fromanise. InIranit is known asmast o khiar.
in Saudi Arabia, it is known asسَلَطَة خِيار باللَّبَن,salaṭat ḵiyār bi-l-laban, made from yogurt and cucumbers.
A variation in theCaucasus mountains, called "ovdukh", useskefirinstead of the yogurt. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs andhamto create a variation ofokroshka, sometimes referred to as a "Caucasusokroshka".Mizeriais another variation from Poland, using the same ingredients but substituting sour cream for yogurt.
In South Asia, a similar dish is made with yogurt, cucumber, salt and ground cumin (sometimes also including onions) called "raita".
In Iran,ash-e dooghis another type of yogurt soup; instead of cucumbers it contains a variety of herbs such asbasil,leek,mint,black pepperandraisins. In this style, sometimes dried bread chips, chopped nuts or raisins are put in the dish just before serving.