Each national cuisine has its own sauce, original and unique to it. These dressings or gravy, which can sometimes be considered as independent snacks, serve as business cards of culinary books from different countries. One has only to recall Japanese unagi sauce, Indian chutney or Azerbaijani narsharab. In this article we will look at making tzatziki greek cold appetizer . A classic recipe was born in mainland Hellas. There he is called tzatziki or tzatziki.
On the island of Crete, appetizer sauce is named talatouri (ttalattouri). Along with the name, the recipe has undergone modifications. In Crete, tzatziki is cooked with less garlic, but mint leaves are added. And in Bulgarian and Macedonian cuisines, sauce has generally turned into soup - a no less popular tarator in the world. Well, in Russia, an okroshka on kefir can be considered an analogue of this interesting dish.
History of occurrence
Researchers are still wondering what people gave the world this wonderful appetizer sauce. Some believe that only thanks to the Turkish conquest, tzatziki sauce appeared in Greece. A classic recipe in the Ottoman Empire used squeezed yogurt made from goat or sheep’s milk, garlic, fresh cucumbers, salt, pepper and olive oil. A dish in Turkey is called djajik. It differs from Greek in a more fluid consistency. In the Middle East, in Persia, there is a similar mast-o-khiar sauce. Tsatsiki is also reminiscent of Indian raita gravy. But, perhaps, the conquering Turks “borrowed” the recipe from the conquered Greeks? One way or another, but who does not belong to the palm in the tzatziki issue, we do not know yet. The main thing is that we have a recipe for a tasty and healthy sauce.
Cult dish
In Greece, this sauce is sold at any grocery store, and with many variations. In Greece, as you know, everything is there. And this statement fully applies to a variety of sauces, combined under the general name "tzatziki". The classic recipe suggests the presence in the dish of yogurt, garlic, cucumber, olive oil and salt with pepper. Variations include mint, dill, parsley, lemon juice, ground almonds, and much, much more. There are tzatziki on goat's milk and on sheep's. With fresh or pickled cucumbers. In a word, for every taste. Not a single meal in Greece can do without this dish. It is eaten as an independent snack, just dipping pita into it. Tzatziki served with gyros, souvlaki, meat, fish, fried or stewed vegetables. The sauce invariably accompanies meze - a set of cold and hot snacks served in the Mediterranean.
Tzatziki: recipe for cooking
In fact, there are no difficulties in creating the sauce. We won’t even have to light a fire. In Greece, in addition to the ready-made sauce, you can also buy the main ingredient for its preparation - very thick natural yogurt (without flavoring additives). With him, the preparation of a cult dish will not take half an hour. All that is needed is to mix peeled and finely chopped cucumbers, garlic, spices and olive oil into yogurt. Tzatziki must be cooled before serving. In restaurants, dressing is decorated with halved olive, olive or a sprig of mint. The amount of ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. But what is the proportion of authentic tzatziki dishes? A classic recipe gives such a list of ingredients. For 370 ml of yogurt for tzatziki, you need to take two cucumbers, five cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper.
Cooking step by step: tzatziki (classic recipe)
Photos will make the description more understandable. Peel two cucumbers and grind on a grater. We add them and squeeze out the slightly allocated juice. Five cloves of garlic finely chopped, pour a spoonful of wine vinegar (or lemon juice). Add to the cucumbers along with 370 ml of thick natural yogurt. If desired, you can sprinkle the mixture with a tablespoon of dill or parsley. The taste of mint with fresh cucumbers will create a cooling effect on a hot day. Knead the sauce thoroughly. With a thin stream, two tablespoons of natural olive oil. Mix again and send to the refrigerator. Before serving, decorate tzatziki sauce. The classic recipe is good for everyone. But he does not specify where to get in Russia such a thick natural yogurt, which is sold in Greece in any shop. Let's try to adapt the recipe to our conditions of import substitution.
Greek Yogurt
Cucumbers and garlic are not a problem for us. Olive oil can also be bought for now. The case for yogurt. The one that we sell under the name "Natural" is not suitable for tzatziki sauce. The recipe requires a thick product, so that, as they say, the spoon in it stood. Many people replace yogurt with fat sour cream. She is really quite thick. But the sauce is too greasy. Therefore, it makes sense to do a few preliminary manipulations to get real Greek yogurt. Take a liter of whole milk, bring to a boil and cool to approximately 43 degrees. Add two tablespoons of sour cream. Put in heat for fermentation for eight hours. Then the yogurt still stands in the refrigerator for better thickening. If the result disappoints you, fold the product in several layers of gauze and hang it. Overnight, excess whey drains and yogurt becomes thick. Well, then you can use it according to the recipe.
Tzatziki with pickles
This sauce can be made in the winter. Pickled or pickled cucumbers will not refresh tzatziki. The recipe suggests transferring 250 grams of thick yogurt to a bowl. Two small cucumbers cut into small cubes in another bowl. Press the juice - it is not needed in the sauce. Mix cucumbers with yogurt. Finely chop the dill and parsley. Add two cloves of garlic squeezed through a press. We mix everything. Salt to taste, not forgetting black pepper. And send it to the refrigerator for half an hour so that all the ingredients of the sauce come together in a pleasant interaction. As you can see, vegetable oil is not used in this recipe. If we mix a teaspoon of grated almonds in the sauce, tzatziki will have an interesting nutty flavor.