A small bowl of tzatziki, served with few drops of olive oil and a few pieces of dill.
Tzatziki ( also transcribed jajiki) is a Greek and Turkish meze, or appetizer, also used as a sauce or dip. The Greek word is derived from the Turkish cacik, which means a form of chutney (Cacik, the Turkish side dish with similar ingredients, is more diluted). Tzatziki is made of yoghurt (which in Greece and Turkey is usually made of sheep or goat milk), cucumbers (either pureed and strained or seeded and finely diced), onion, and garlic for taste—in Greece this can be as much as a whole head of garlic for a large bowlful of tzatziki. It is usually seasoned with olive oil and diverse herbs including dill or mint, and usually a spoonful of vinegar is added. It is often served with pita bread as the first course of a meal, with black olives on top or served separately. It is one of the standard components of the Turkish doner kebab or Greek souvlaki and gyros.
In Bulgaria the same dish is known as "dry tarator" or "Snezhanka" salad, and is served as a appetizer. For the preparation the yoghurt is put in a kerchief and hanged for several hours in order to lose about half of its water. Then cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and pepper are added.
Similar dishes in Iraq are known as jajeek.To prepare the dish, thoroughly mix skinned and diced cucumber, diced dill and plain yogurt. One may add salt and mint, according to taste. A variation in the Caucasus mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of the plain yogurt, thus creating a refreshing summer drink. 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'.
I have tasted the greek, turkish and the persian version of Tzaziki. Tzaziki can be compared with raita in India,with variations in ingredients like replacement of dill with coriander (locally available) and disappearance of garlic (considered primarily non-vegiratian ingredient sp. in parts of north India). All are served as a refreshing appetizer/relishes along with other dishes.
The Sephardic Jewish name for this sauce, at least in Greece, is Tarator.
Simple recipes for Tzatziki
Ingredients:
* 1 ½ cup of Greek yogurt (strained)
* 2 medium-sized cucumbers
* 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
* olive oil
* a little vinegar
* salt
Skin the cucumbers and cut into thin strips with a vegetables grater; and then cut into small pieces. Drain and squeeze well and then salt. Add the crushed garlic, the vinegar, the yogurt and mix, finally adding the oil (a little oil at a time) and mixing. If you wish, you can garnish with olives. For a more garlicky taste, add more garlic.Please note the following instructions are not typical for Greek yogurt
*You can sprinkle the tzatziki with paprika.
*You can, if you wish, add a mixture of finely chopped almonds and other nuts.
*Can also be made with a sour cream base.
A version from Asha by Clio:
Scrape a cucumber. Remove water (drink it!)
Scrape a little garlic
Cut some dill leaves (sabbajki – needle like fragrant leaves) into fine pieces
Add all this to a bowl of curd and mix well.
Add salt. And a few drops of olive oil if you want.
Tip from my Greek friend Clio: When you buy olive oil, buy one which is green in colour, not yellow – it is the closest to pure olive oil.
Another version from Dimitri
Greek cucumber appetizer or salad
Serves/Makes:8 or more
Ingredients
* 2 pints. yogurt
* 5 cucumbers
* 10 cloves garlic
* 4 tbsp (60 ml). olive oil
* 3 carrots
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). chopped parsley
* 6 tbsp (90 ml). vinegar
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). Ouzo(greek drink)
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). salt
* 3 tbsp (45 ml). white pepper
Preparation
* Wash the cucumber and grate it.
* Mix it with the salt and leave it aside for one hour so that it will loose all the water.
* Peel and grate the carrots and the garlic and mix all the ingrediends together and last, but not least, the grated cucumber.
Comments
It is Greece's most popular appetizer and I'm sure that you are gonna love it unless you don't like garlic. Yours sincearly chef Dimitris Pangiotopolos from Greece.
Source: Allexperts.com
Tzatziki ( also transcribed jajiki) is a Greek and Turkish meze, or appetizer, also used as a sauce or dip. The Greek word is derived from the Turkish cacik, which means a form of chutney (Cacik, the Turkish side dish with similar ingredients, is more diluted). Tzatziki is made of yoghurt (which in Greece and Turkey is usually made of sheep or goat milk), cucumbers (either pureed and strained or seeded and finely diced), onion, and garlic for taste—in Greece this can be as much as a whole head of garlic for a large bowlful of tzatziki. It is usually seasoned with olive oil and diverse herbs including dill or mint, and usually a spoonful of vinegar is added. It is often served with pita bread as the first course of a meal, with black olives on top or served separately. It is one of the standard components of the Turkish doner kebab or Greek souvlaki and gyros.
In Bulgaria the same dish is known as "dry tarator" or "Snezhanka" salad, and is served as a appetizer. For the preparation the yoghurt is put in a kerchief and hanged for several hours in order to lose about half of its water. Then cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and pepper are added.
Similar dishes in Iraq are known as jajeek.To prepare the dish, thoroughly mix skinned and diced cucumber, diced dill and plain yogurt. One may add salt and mint, according to taste. A variation in the Caucasus mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of the plain yogurt, thus creating a refreshing summer drink. 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'.
I have tasted the greek, turkish and the persian version of Tzaziki. Tzaziki can be compared with raita in India,with variations in ingredients like replacement of dill with coriander (locally available) and disappearance of garlic (considered primarily non-vegiratian ingredient sp. in parts of north India). All are served as a refreshing appetizer/relishes along with other dishes.
The Sephardic Jewish name for this sauce, at least in Greece, is Tarator.
Simple recipes for Tzatziki
Ingredients:
* 1 ½ cup of Greek yogurt (strained)
* 2 medium-sized cucumbers
* 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
* olive oil
* a little vinegar
* salt
Skin the cucumbers and cut into thin strips with a vegetables grater; and then cut into small pieces. Drain and squeeze well and then salt. Add the crushed garlic, the vinegar, the yogurt and mix, finally adding the oil (a little oil at a time) and mixing. If you wish, you can garnish with olives. For a more garlicky taste, add more garlic.Please note the following instructions are not typical for Greek yogurt
*You can sprinkle the tzatziki with paprika.
*You can, if you wish, add a mixture of finely chopped almonds and other nuts.
*Can also be made with a sour cream base.
A version from Asha by Clio:
Scrape a cucumber. Remove water (drink it!)
Scrape a little garlic
Cut some dill leaves (sabbajki – needle like fragrant leaves) into fine pieces
Add all this to a bowl of curd and mix well.
Add salt. And a few drops of olive oil if you want.
Tip from my Greek friend Clio: When you buy olive oil, buy one which is green in colour, not yellow – it is the closest to pure olive oil.
Another version from Dimitri
Greek cucumber appetizer or salad
Serves/Makes:8 or more
Ingredients
* 2 pints. yogurt
* 5 cucumbers
* 10 cloves garlic
* 4 tbsp (60 ml). olive oil
* 3 carrots
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). chopped parsley
* 6 tbsp (90 ml). vinegar
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). Ouzo(greek drink)
* 5 tbsp (70 ml). salt
* 3 tbsp (45 ml). white pepper
Preparation
* Wash the cucumber and grate it.
* Mix it with the salt and leave it aside for one hour so that it will loose all the water.
* Peel and grate the carrots and the garlic and mix all the ingrediends together and last, but not least, the grated cucumber.
Comments
It is Greece's most popular appetizer and I'm sure that you are gonna love it unless you don't like garlic. Yours sincearly chef Dimitris Pangiotopolos from Greece.
Source: Allexperts.com
2 comments:
Yumm! Am going to try and tell you how it came out!
and wonderful idea - love the concept and the recipes!
Danke!!
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