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Fresh, creamy and absolutely delicious, Greek Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki is ideal as a dip for a dip, with grilled meats and with Pita bread. It is a versatile and very easy-to-make Greek sauce, one of the most popular and best-loved Greek recipes in the world.
Greek Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki
It’s often referred to as salad, sauce, and even pastry, but what is Tzatziki? Greek tzatziki recipe is a sauce made from yogurt, cucumber, garlic and herbs, to be dipped into chicken, pork, especially grilled lamb, raw vegetables or Greek Pita bread.
The Greek Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki has a fresh and aromatic taste. Characteristic of all the ingredients that make it up, the yogurt has a fresh, creamy flavour with a hint of acidity. The cucumber is one of the tastiest and freshest vegetables and goes well with herbs such as mint, dill, and parsley. Lemon and vinegar lend additional acidity. Of tzatziki sauce, several recipes and variations can be found depending on the region, as it’s present in the kitchens of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
The Origin of Greek Cucumber Sauce
Tzatziki originated in Greece, during the Ottoman Empire, known as Cacik. Cacik sauce is first mentioned in the 17th century in ‘Seyahatnâme’, Evliya Çelebi’s meticulous travelogue. In the writing, cacik is understood as an aromatic herb or vegetable added to flavour yogurt, a food already known for a long time. The word Tzatziki derives precisely from the Turkish word Cacik.
Differences Between Tzatziki and Cacik
There are very few differences between the ingredients used for the two sauces: in tzatziki, parsley can also be used, while in cacik, only mint and dill are used; in the former, cucumbers are grated and lemon or vinegar is used, while in the latter, cucumbers are chopped and both lemon and vinegar are used. Turkish cacik is also diluted with water and consumed as a soup.
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
The preparation of Greek Yogurt Sauce is really simple, no matter which variant you choose. First peel and grate the cucumbers, place them in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of white vinegar, so they lose their excess water. Meanwhile, chop the herbs and garlic, and add them to the yogurt together with two tablespoons of vinegar and three of a good olive oil.
Once everything is mixed together, squeeze it with your hands or with the help of a kitchen towel once you have removed most of the liquid, add into the yogurt sauce, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Once ready, place in the fridge for at least an hour.
Tzatziki sauce should be served well chilled. It can be served with a pinzimonio of carrots, cucumber peppers and other raw vegetables. Indispensable with Greek Pita bread and as an accompaniment to gyros and souvlaki.
Variants of Tzatziki Recipe
In some recipes, the cucumbers are deprived of the more watery central part and can be left to drain naturally without adding salt and/or vinegar. In Greek Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki, apart from dill, you can also add mint and/or parsley. This depends a little on personal taste; personally, I prefer it with just dill and/or mint, but as always, experiment to find the combination you prefer.
Greek Yogurt Sauce – Tzatziki Recipe (τζατζίκι)
Attrezzature
- Grater
Ingredienti
- 300 g Greek Yogurt
- 1 Cucumber
- ½ clove of Garlic
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
- ¼ bunch of Dill chopped
- 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 pinch of Salt
- to taste Black Pepper
Istruzioni
- Peel 1 Cucumber and grate it using the large blades of a grater. Put the cucumber in a bowl and add 1 pinch of Salt and 1 Tbsp White Vinegar. Stir and set aside to let the water release.
- In a bowl, combine 300 g Greek Yogurt with ½ clove of Garlic (or more or according to taste), 2 Tbsp White Vinegar and 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Mix everything until you get a creamy mixture
- Drain the cucumber and start squeezing it by hand or with the help of a tea towel. When the water has been squeezed out, add the cucumber to the yoghurt together with ¼ bunch of ¼ bunch of Dill.
- Mix everything together, add q.b. black pepper, season with salt and put in the fridge to until serving.
Nutrizione
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