Tuesday , March 19 2024

Tzatziki the dish Greeks love (Yiayia’s recipe included)

Tzatziki is one Greek dish that I am sure all of you have tried. Well known to our visitors during the hot summer months. To Greeks however, it is a “sauce” and it goes on the table practically with every celebration. Tzatziki is a few centuries older than the famous Mousaka.  You probably have tasted it with our famous “Gyros” as well…. We call them “Pita” here in Zakynthos and you definitely would not be eating a pork “pita” without Tzatziki.

History

During a time when India was being ruled by an elite Persian class, they came across a form of yoghurt dip known as” raita sauce”. It is a lot thinner than Tzatziki and a lot spicier. Because of the spices the dip or sauce was experimented on trying to make it more applicable to their taste.  The story goes that during the Ottoman Empire the descendants of Alexander the Great came up with their own recipe, the one we see today. It was enjoyed so much; they practically had it with everything. Nothing much has changed for Greeks when it comes to Tzatziki.

Ingredients.

500 gr. Greek strained yoghurt (as thick as you can get it)

1 large Cucumber grated

3 to 4 cloves of Garlic (the more garlic the better we say)

120 gr. olive oil

30 gr. wine vinegar

4 gr. Dill (optional)

4 gr. Salt (optional)

2 gr. pepper

Instructions.

Wash the cucumber and grate it. Squeeze the grated cucumber so as to get as much liquid out as possible. This step is important as you don’t want your Tzatziki runny. Place the cucumber in a bowl and add the vinegar. Add the yogurt, garlic, olive oil and mix. Add the dill, salt and pepper to taste. It is that easy.

About Louise Inzk

Louise is Australian born and has been a Greek citizen since 1991. She has deep cultural ties with the island, often writing about Zakynthian Traditions and Culture. She is also an active member of the Volunteer Group of Zakynthos, Giostra Di Zante and is a member of the women's choir "Rodambelos". Her love of the island and all it offers saw her joining the Zakynthos (Zante) Informer admin team in 2014.

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