View source for Tzatziki

{{Short description|Cold cucumber–yogurt dip, soup, or sauce}}
{{Redirect|Tarator|tahini- or nut-based sauce|Tarator (sauce)}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Tzatziki
| image            = Cacik-1.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          =
| alternate_name   = ''Cacık'', ''tarator''
| country          =
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           = [[Appetiser]], [[side dish]], [[meze]]
| type             = [[Dip (food)|Dip]] or [[soup]]
| served           = Cold
| main_ingredient  = [[Strained yogurt]], [[cucumber]]s, garlic, [[olive oil]], red wine vinegar, salt, sometimes [[lemon juice]], [[dill]], [[mentha|mint]], [[parsley]], [[thyme]]
| minor_ingredient =
| variations       = With strained or diluted yogurt and other herbs and vegetables
}}
'''Tzatziki''' ({{langx|el|τζατζίκι}}, {{lang-Latn|el|tzatzíki}}, {{IPA-el|d͡zaˈd͡zici|lang}}), also known as '''''cacık'''''<!-- DO NOT LINK, see [[MOS:BOLDLINK]] for further guidance --> ({{IPA|tr|dʒaˈdʒɯk|lang}}) or '''''tarator''''',<!-- DO NOT LINK, see [[MOS:BOLDLINK]] for further guidance --> is a class of [[Dip (food)|dip]], [[soup]], or [[sauce]] found in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of salted [[strained yogurt]] or diluted yogurt<ref name="tdk.gov.tr">{{cite web|url=http://www.tdk.gov.tr/index.php?option=com_gts&kelime=CACIK|title=TÜRK DİL KURUMU|work=tdk.gov.tr|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217100020/http://www.tdk.gov.tr/index.php?option=com_gts&kelime=CACIK|archive-date=17 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> mixed with [[cucumber]]s, [[garlic]], salt, [[olive oil]], red wine vinegar, sometimes with [[lemon juice]], and herbs such as [[dill]], [[mentha|mint]], [[parsley]] and [[thyme]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kochilas |first=Diane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YM56DwAAQBAJ&q=greek+tzatziki+with+red+wine+vinegar |title=My Greek Table: Authentic Flavors and Modern Home Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours |date=2018-12-24 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-250-16637-1 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Grigson 2007 239–40">{{cite book|last=Grigson|first=Jane|title=Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book|year=2007|publisher=U of Nebraska P|isbn=978-0-8032-5994-2|pages=239–40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nr2Dna7hx1EC&pg=PA239|author2=Yvonne Skargon|access-date=27 July 2010}}</ref> It is served as a cold [[appetizer|appetiser]] ([[meze]]), a [[side dish]], and as a sauce for [[souvlaki]] and [[gyros]] sandwiches and other foods.<ref>Susanna Hoffman, Victoria Wise, ''The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking'', 2004, {{isbn|1563058480}}, p. 466-467</ref><ref>''America's Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary TV Show Cookbook'', 2019, {{isbn|1945256885}}, p. 301</ref>
==Etymology==
The word ''tzatziki'' appeared in English around the mid-20th century as a [[loanword]] from [[Modern Greek]] ({{lang|el|τζατζίκι}}), which in turn comes from the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] word {{lang|tr|cacık}}.<ref>Georgios Babiniotis, [[Babiniotis Dictionary]]</ref><ref>''[[Triantafyllidis Dictionary]]'', University of Thessaloniki</ref> The root is likely related to several words in West Asian languages. [[Persian language|Persian]] ''{{transl|fa|ALA-LC|zhazh}}'' ({{lang|fa|ژاژ}}) refers to various herbs used for cooking, and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] jaj or ژاژ refers to the [[caraway]] herb.<ref name="Nisanyan">{{cite web|access-date=2019-04-26|first=Sevan |last=Nişanyan |author-link=Sevan Nişanyan |title=cacik|language=tr |url=http://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=cac%C4%B1k|website=Nişanyan - Türkçe Etimolojik Sözlük}}</ref> That word is combined with the Turkish diminutive suffix ''-cık'' to yield ''cacık''. It may be related to an [[Armenian language|Armenian]] word, ''cacıg''.<ref name=Razuvajeva>{{cite journal |first=Olga |last=Razuvajeva |year=2009 |title=Slang in the Turkish Language as a Social, Linguistic, and Semiotic Phenomenon |journal=University of Gaziantep Journal of Social Sciences |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=299–316 |issn=1303-0094 |url=https://www.academia.edu/779579 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716024655/http://www.academia.edu/779579/Slang_in_the_Turkish_Language_as_a_Social_Linguistic_and_Semiotic_Phenomenon |archive-date=16 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Sevan Nişanyan]] the Armenian word may itself come from Turkish or Kurdish.<ref name="Nisanyan">{{cite web|access-date=2019-04-26|first=Sevan |last=Nişanyan |author-link=Sevan Nişanyan |title=cacik|language=tr |url=http://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=cac%C4%B1k|website=Nişanyan - Türkçe Etimolojik Sözlük}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-04-26|title=Definition of TZATZIKI|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tzatziki|website=[[Merriam Webster]]}}</ref>
[[Evliya Çelebi]]'s 1665 [[travel literature|travelogue]], the ''[[Seyahatnâme]]'', defined ''cacıχ'' (''cacıg'') as a kind of herb that is added to food.<ref name="Nisanyan" /> The modern term ''cacık'' (جاجیك) was mentioned in print for the first time in 1844 in [[Kâmil Pasha]]'s ''[[Melceü'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'').<ref name="Nisanyan" />
The form ''[[wikt:tarator|tarator]]'', found in languages from the Balkans to the Levant, may be of Persian origin, with derivative forms now found in a range of countries.<ref name="EtyDict">{{Cite book |last=Kerestedjian |first=Bedros |title=Quelques matériaux pour un dictionnaire étymologique de la langue Turque |publisher=Luzac |editor-last=Haig |editor-first=Kerest |location=London |chapter=Terator |page=138}}</ref><ref>Andriotis ''et al.'', Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης, Λεξικό της κοινής Νεοελληνικής ''s.v.'' ταρατόρι</ref><ref>E. Saussey, ''Les mots turcs dans le dialect arabe de Damas'', ''Mélanges de l'Institut français de Damas'' '''1''' (1929), p. 84, 127</ref>
==History==
''Tarator'' was the name of a dish made of ground walnuts and vinegar in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Dishes of various preparations in the region, including dips, salads, and sauces, acquired the name. In the [[Levant]], ''tarator'' is a sauce based on [[tahini]], while in [[Turkey]] and the [[Balkans]] it came to mean a combination of yogurt and cucumbers, sometimes with walnuts. It has become a traditional part of [[meze]].<ref name="Marks 2010">{{cite book|first1=Gil|last1=Marks|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT1761|publisher=HMH|date=17 November 2010|isbn=9780544186316}}</ref>
==Variations==
===Greece===
[[File:Tzatziki meze or appetizer, also used as a sauce.jpg|thumb|right|Tzatziki with olives and a spearmint garnish, served as [[meze]]]]
Greek-style tzatziki sauce is commonly served as a [[meze]], to be eaten with bread, fried eggplant, or zucchini.<ref>''Fodor's Greek Islands'', 2011, s.v. Skopelos</ref>
Tzatziki is made of [[strained yogurt]] (usually from [[domestic sheep|sheep]] or goat milk) mixed with [[cucumber]]s, garlic, salt, [[olive oil]], red wine [[vinegar]], and [[dill]] or [[mentha|mint]] or [[parsley]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kochilas |first=Diane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YM56DwAAQBAJ&q=greek+tzatziki+with+red+wine+vinegar |title=My Greek Table: Authentic Flavors and Modern Home Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours |date=2018-12-24 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-250-16637-1 |language=en}}</ref>
A variation made with [[Portulaca oleracea|purslane]] ({{Transliteration|el|glistrida}} in Greek) may be called {{Transliteration|el|glistrida me yiaourti}}, meaning 'purslane and yogurt salad', rather than tzatziki. One simple recipe calls for purslane, olive oil, red wine vinegar and dill.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Macmillan| isbn = 978-0-312-20076-3| last = Kochilas| first = Diane| title = The Greek Vegetarian: More Than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Traditional Dishes and Flavors of Greece| date = 1999-03-15| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xdFP7vjdJrcC&pg=PA36| access-date = 25 July 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174837/https://books.google.com/books?id=xdFP7vjdJrcC&pg=PA36| archive-date = 26 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref> Another is made with purslane, mint, [[cilantro]], parsley and ground [[coriander]], along with the standard yogurt-cucumber base.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Kochilas| first = Diane| title = Purslane: Weed of Distinction| work = Huffington Post| access-date = 2018-07-25| date = 2015-08-10| url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-kochilas/purslane-weed-of-distinction_b_7959156.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170424225839/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-kochilas/purslane-weed-of-distinction_b_7959156.html| archive-date = 24 April 2017| url-status = live}}</ref>
===Turkey===
[[File:Cacık cacık.jpg|thumb|Turkish ''cacık'' seasoned with Aleppo pepper and mint]]
Turkish ''cacık'' is made by combining water and yogurt together with garlic and different combinations of vegetables and herbs. [[Strained yogurt|Labne]] may be substituted for some of the [[yogurt]].<ref name=almond>{{Cite AV media| people = Migros Türkiye| title = Çağlalı Cacık Tarifi| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ET5l9FFkSY}}</ref><ref name="buzlu">{{Cite web |date=10 June 2017 |title=Buzlu Cacık |url=http://www.ardaninmutfagi.com/yemek-tarifleri/ramazan-tarifleri/buzlu-cacik |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725214400/http://www.ardaninmutfagi.com/yemek-tarifleri/ramazan-tarifleri/buzlu-cacik |archive-date=25 July 2018 |access-date=2018-07-25 |work=Arda'nın Mutfağı}}</ref>
Turkish cacik also has many variations, different recipes use [[Wheat berry|wheat berries]], [[Carrot|carrots]], [[Scallion|scallions]], mint, [[radish]], red pepper, [[parsley]], [[dill]], [[basil]], [[chondrilla juncea]], [[vinegar]], walnuts, hazelnuts and unripe almonds.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Havuçlu Cacık| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/havuclu_cacik| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153526/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/havuclu_cacik| archive-date = 25 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="balkan">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpTmohfTQI |title=Balkan Cacığı Tarifi |time=93 seconds |access-date=2018-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174837/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpTmohfTQI |archive-date=26 July 2018 |url-status=live |people=Migros Türkiye}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media| people = Migros Türkiye| title = Turp Cacığı Tarifi| access-date = 2018-07-25| time = 50 seconds| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohjGxAY05pg| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174837/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohjGxAY05pg| archive-date = 26 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Sebzeli Cacık| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/sebzeli-cacik| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174837/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/sebzeli-cacik| archive-date = 26 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="buzlu" /><ref>{{Cite web| title = Sirkeli Cacık| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/sirkeli-cacik| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174837/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/sirkeli-cacik| archive-date = 26 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Cevizli ve Fındıklı Cacık| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/diger/cevizli-ve-findikli-cacik| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153406/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/diger/cevizli-ve-findikli-cacik| archive-date = 25 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Buğday Cacığı| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/bugday-cacigi| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725184131/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/zeytinyaglilar-ve-mezeler/bugday-cacigi| archive-date = 25 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="almond" /><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.12991/mpj.20163435871| issn = 1309-0801| volume = 20| issue = 1| pages = 34| last1 = Şenkardeş| first1 = İsmail| last2 = Tuzlacı| first2 = Ertan| title = Wild Edible Plants of Southern Part of Nevşehir in Turkey| journal = Marmara Pharmaceutical Journal| access-date = 2018-07-25| date = 2015-10-01| url = http://dergipark.gov.tr/doi/10.12991/mpj.20163435871| hdl = 11424/5322| hdl-access = free| archive-date = 12 July 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210712041438/http://dergipark.gov.tr/doi/10.12991/mpj.20163435871| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| title = Emirdağ kültür araştırmaları sempozyumu| year = 1995| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=g2WBAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
For ''cacıklı arap köftesi'', [[kofta]] made from a mix of [[bulgur]] and ground meat is served over ''cacık''. In this case the ''cacık'' is made with [[chard]] rather than the usual cucumber ([[spinach]] or [[parsley]] may be substituted for the chard. Some recipes use [[Portulaca oleracea|purslane]]).<ref>{{Cite web| title = Cacıklı Arap Köfte| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/et-yemekleri/cacikli-arap-kofte| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153745/https://www.sabah.com.tr/sofra/tarifler/et-yemekleri/cacikli-arap-kofte| archive-date = 25 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Cacıklı Arap Köftesi Tarifi, Nasıl Yapılır? - Sahrap Soysal| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = https://www.sahrapsoysal.com/cacikli-arap-koftesi-tarifi-t-3637| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174838/https://www.sahrapsoysal.com/cacikli-arap-koftesi-tarifi-t-3637| archive-date = 26 July 2018| url-status = live}}</ref> ''Bulgurlu madımak cacığı'' is made with cracked wheat, cucumber and a type of [[Polygonum|knotweed]] called ''madımak''.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Soysal| first = Sahrap| title = Bulgurlu Madımak cacığı| access-date = 2018-07-25| url = http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/sahrap-soysal/bulgurlu-madimak-cacigi-40115910| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170813133849/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/sahrap-soysal/bulgurlu-madimak-cacigi-40115910| archive-date = 13 August 2017| url-status = live}}</ref>
===Balkans===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2019}}
[[File:TaratorBg.jpg|thumb|Bulgarian ''tarator'' served as soup]]
''Tarator'' is found in many Balkan countries. It is often prepared as a cold [[soup]], 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 "dry ''tarator''", or as ''[[Snow White salad|Snezhanka]]'' salad, which means '[[Snow White]] salad', and is served as an [[appetiser]] or side dish. During preparation, the yogurt is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water. The cucumbers, garlic, minced [[walnuts]], salt and vegetable oil are then added.
In [[Bulgaria]], ''tarator'' is a popular [[meze]] (appetiser), but is also served as a side dish along with [[Shopska salad]] with some meals. [[Sunflower oil]] and [[olive oil]] are more commonly used, and the walnuts are sometimes omitted. ''Tarator'' is 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.
In [[Albania]], ''tarator'' is 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 with ''tarator''. Other similar Albanian variants are ''Salcë Kosi'' and ''Xaxiq''.
In [[North Macedonia]], ''tarator'' is popular summer cold dish or meze made from yogurt or "kiselo mleko", cucumbers, garlic and sometimes dill.
===Cyprus===
In [[Cyprus]], the dish is known as {{Lang|el|ταλαττούρι}} ("''talattouri''")<ref>{{cite book|last=Hoffman|first=Susanna|title=The olive and the caper: adventures in Greek cooking|year=2004|publisher=Workman|isbn=978-1-56305-848-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/olivecaper00susa/page/149 149]|url=https://archive.org/details/olivecaper00susa|url-access=registration}}</ref> and is similar to the Greek recipe with a more characteristic flavour of mint and added acidity in the form of lemon juice.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-23|title=Talatouri recipe (Cypriot tzatziki sauce with mint)|url=https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/talatouri-recipe-cypriot-tzatziki-sauce-with-mint/|access-date=2021-12-30|website=My Greek Dish|language=en-US}}</ref>
It is made from strained yogurt, sliced cucumbers, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice and sprinkled with dried mint, oregano or olive oil.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-23|title=Talatouri recipe (Cypriot tzatziki sauce with mint)|url=https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/talatouri-recipe-cypriot-tzatziki-sauce-with-mint/|access-date=2021-12-30|website=My Greek Dish|language=en-US}}</ref>
===Middle East===
In [[Iraq]], ''jajeek'' is often served as [[meze]].<ref name="Marks 2010"/> It may accompany alcoholic drinks, especially [[Arak (drink)|arak]], an [[ouzo]]-like drink made from [[anise]]. In [[Iran]] it is known as ''mast o khiar''.<ref name="Marks 2010"/>
in Saudi Arabia, it is known as {{Lang|ar|سَلَطَة خِيار باللَّبَن}}, ''salaṭat ḵiyār bi-l-laban'', made from yogurt and cucumbers.{{cn|date=October 2023}}
===Similar dishes===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2021}}
A variation in the [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus mountains]], called "''ovdukh''", uses [[kefir]] instead of the yogurt. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs and [[ham]] to create a variation of ''[[okroshka]]'', sometimes referred to as a "Caucasus ''okroshka''". ''[[Mizeria]]'' is 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 doogh]] is another type of yogurt soup; instead of cucumbers it contains a variety of herbs such as [[basil]], [[leek]], [[Mentha|mint]], [[black pepper]] and [[raisin]]s. In this style, sometimes dried bread chips, chopped nuts or raisins are put in the dish just before serving.
==See also==
{{Portal|Greece|Turkey|Food}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Cold borscht]]
* [[List of dairy products]]
* [[Dipping sauce#List of dips|List of dips]]
* [[List of hors d'oeuvre]]
* [[List of yogurt-based dishes and beverages]]
{{div col end}}
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Cuisine of Turkey}}
{{Yogurts}}
{{Cuisine of Greece}}
{{Cuisine of Iran}}
{{Levantine cuisine}}
{{Soups}}
[[Category:Bulgarian cuisine]]
[[Category:Cold soups]]
[[Category:Cypriot cuisine]]
[[Category:Dips (food)]]
[[Category:Fermented dairy products]]
[[Category:Greek sauces]]
[[Category:Greek appetizers]]
[[Category:Iranian cuisine]]
[[Category:Iraqi cuisine]]
[[Category:Levantine cuisine]]
[[Category:Meze]]
[[Category:Sauces]]
[[Category:Turkish soups]]
[[Category:Yogurt-based dishes]]
[[Category:Creamy dishes]]