The Greek sauce "Tsatsiki" (dzatziki) is very popular not only in Greece, but also far beyond its borders. It is made very easily and quickly, and its taste is unusually bright and rich, which allows it to be served with many dishes. And its composition is very simple. It will be especially relevant when the first cucumbers come from their garden. There are a huge number of ways to prepare this sauce, I used the recipe I had learned from the famous St. Petersburg chef Ilya Lazerson.

Ingredients

To prepare the sauce "Tsatziki" you will need:

fresh cucumber - 1 pc .;

natural yogurt - 250 g;

garlic - 1 clove;

salt to taste;

olive oil- a few drops (optional);

dill - 25 g (optional, optional).

(!) as a last resort, natural yoghurt can be replaced with 15% sour cream.

Cooking steps

Prepare natural yoghurt.

Add salt and mix thoroughly to distribute the garlic more evenly inside the yogurt. Set aside for a while (while we are dealing with cucumbers).

Then squeeze the cucumbers through a napkin. The squeezed cucumbers will be crispy in the sauce, unlike the un-squeezed ones. This is exactly how cook Ilya Lazerson advised to prepare cucumbers for "Tsatsiki" sauce.

Stir gently, add olive oil, taste, add salt if necessary. You can add finely chopped dill.

The delicious Tsatziki sauce is ready and waiting to be served.

Bon Appetit!

Trips to Greece are remembered not only for the beautiful nature, entertainment programs and comfortable rest. A separate conversation about travel impressions is an acquaintance with local cuisine... Many Greek dishes have become world hits, but you can only feel the sophistication of their taste in local taverns. For example, Tzatziki (tzatziki) sauce: at first glance the simplest recipe but try to cook it to get the real Greek flavor. If you succeed, then only after reading our article. So, the topic of today's material is the Greek snack Tsatsiki (Dzadziki) and popular recipes for its preparation.

The Greek word τζατζίκι (pronounced tzatziki or tzatziki) refers to a cold sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and herbs. It is usually served with meat and seafood, but it is also used as an independent snack.

The history of the appearance of this dish is confusing. According to legend, the Greek Mittiko served as a prototype for satsiki, which was served at ancient feasts. The recipe for the two dishes is almost identical, but the continuity has not been officially confirmed. Later, when the Byzantines came to the Greek lands, they changed the recipe for the classic Mittico. Olives, eggs, cheese and wine were added to the sauce, and ready meal named Tzakisto.

In turn, the Byzantine recipe came to the Turks, who also altered it in their own way. The appetizer turned into a sour milk soup with herbs, which was named Cacik. And finally turkish recipe borrowed and altered by the Greeks who fell under the Ottoman dictate. Fermented milk Ayran was replaced by traditional Greek yoghurt, and cold soup Jajik turned into a Greek sauce called Dzadziki.

Thus, in Ancient Hellas, for the first time, a classic Greek sauce was invented, and in Modern Greece, the seasoning was first resoundingly called Dzadziki. Today this dish is served as a dip for meat, fish and vegetables, and is also used as an independent light snack with bread. Tzatziki even dress various salads, and according to the assurances of gourmets, with Greek dressing they turn out much tastier than with mayonnaise or sour cream.

In addition, Dzatziki sauce also belongs to healthy eating... After all, the dish is prepared from natural products that contain many useful substances. That only one Greek yogurt is worth: here is calcium, and magnesium, and phosphorus, and zinc and a whole galaxy of various minerals and vitamins. Delicious, healthy and easy to prepare - what could be better for a nutritious lunch or dinner?

As you know, all ingenious is simple. So for making Dzadziki at home, you don't have to reinvent the wheel: the food is prepared quickly, simply and easily.

The only thing worth noting is the quality of the original products. If you want to get a real Greek sauce, then Satsiki should be cooked exclusively from natural products. It doesn't matter if you use the Sadzyki recipe of the ancient Hellenes, or want to try modern variations of the dish. Only from quality products chefs get saturated spicy taste famous Greek Dzadziki.

Ingredients for the sauce

For classic Tzatziki, just four ingredients are enough. This number includes:

• fresh cucumber(1 PC);
• Greek yogurt (300-500 gr);
• olive oil (50-100 ml);
• garlic (3-4 cloves).

Particular attention should be paid to the selection of yoghurt. Of course, it is better to purchase a real Greek product made from sheep and goat milk... It has a denser consistency and a special cooking recipe, thanks to which the finished product is rich useful substances and minerals. But if you can't find the original Greek yoghurt, you can replace it with regular natural yoghurt, for example, Activia. Of course, in the end it will turn out not like in Greece, but also very tasty.

The classic recipe is not prohibited from changing and expanding with additional products. So, some people prefer to use pickles instead of fresh ones. Many chefs add herbs to the sauce: a sprig of dill will add richness and decorate the finished dish. Cucumber and garlic are a good combination, but not everyone likes a persistent garlic smell, so there are variations with cucumber and mint, basil, parsley, etc.

Step-by-step cooking recipe

So, what is Tsatziki and what to cook it from, we have already sorted out. It's time to find out what the nuances of making Greek sauce are.

1. The washed cucumber is chopped on a fine grater. The mixture is placed in a deep plate and left for 8-10 minutes. After a specified period of time, the mass must be squeezed out so that the sauce does not turn out to be too liquid.
2. Greek yogurt is added to the cucumber mixture and the mass is thoroughly mixed.
3. Garlic is peeled, pushed through a press, and then added to the ready-made mixture. The number of cloves for your taste and choice.
4. Add olive oil, salt and stir the mixture again.

Ready sauce used as a dip, serving meat, fried vegetables and fish. Also in Greece, very often bread is eaten from Tsatsiki, or other savory pastries... Russian housewives love to use sauce instead of mayonnaise: for seasoning dishes and adding to salads.

There are many recipes for Dzatziki, so the cooking sequence may vary slightly. Consider separately classic version and several popular variations.

In principle, the above method of making a dressing is the traditional greek dish, i.e. classic recipe Dzadziki sauce. But, there is a small nuance in the technology that makes the food even tastier.

The secret is to add salt only to the cucumber gruel, and not salt the whole dish at the end. Further, crushed garlic, olive oil and additional spices to taste are added to the cucumber mass. The last step is to add the yogurt and stir the sauce until it becomes viscous.

Sauce with lemon juice and herbs

Many gourmets lack spicy notes in the classics, so additional spices are added to the recipe. In this case it is lemon juice and dill, parsley, or basil. The recipe is presented in the table below.

The amount and composition of spices can be changed based on their own taste.

Of course, this seasoning only remotely resembles the taste sensations from the Greek Tsatsiki, but still, this method of preparation also takes place.

So, Greek yogurt is replaced with sour cream, and olive oil is replaced with lemon juice. Important note: for a thick sauce, the fat content of sour cream should be at least 30%. Cooking technology is unchanged:

1. The cucumber is finely rubbed, salted, soaked for 10 minutes. Then the excess juice is squeezed out of the gruel.
2. Chopped garlic is seasoned with lemon juice and spices.
3. All prepared ingredients and sour cream are mixed in a deep dish.
4. The prepared sauce is garnished with a sprig of dill or parsley.

To make the taste of the resulting dressing more intense, we recommend keeping the finished dish in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Tzatziki with wine vinegar

The recipe is almost identical to the previous dishes. Prepare the cucumber gruel, add the pressed garlic, wine vinegar, olive oil and salt. Season the mixture with natural yogurt and mix thoroughly.

Tzatziki with lemon juice and mint

This cool snack great option for a meal on a sultry summer day. After all, adding mint will give Tsatziki a pleasant refreshing aftertaste. So, to prepare a meal we need:

• 2 medium cucumbers;
• 300 gr. natural yogurt;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 5 sprigs of mint;
• a quarter of a lemon.

First of all, we prepare the cucumber gruel by chopping the vegetables on a grater. Leave in a plate for 10 minutes, then drain the moisture that has come out. TO vegetable mix add crushed garlic and finely chopped mint leaves. Squeeze lemon juice into a dish ( lemon zest do not add to the sauce!). We fill the ingredients with natural yogurt and mix. The finished sauce should be refrigerated for an hour or two.

This recipe refers us to the Byzantine roots of the dish, which were described at the beginning of the material. Of course, this dish is far from Dzadziki in its original understanding, but on the other hand, the dish has its own charm. Required Ingredients and the cooking steps are listed in the table below.

This is how diverse Greek Dzadziki can be performed by chefs from different countries... Now we know almost everything about this Mediterranean delicacy. It remains to highlight the last moment: how to serve Tsatziki sauce to the table, and for which dishes it is suitable.

I fell in love with many not only for the simple recipe and pleasant piquant taste, but also for the compatibility with almost all dishes. Tzatziki is served with baked fish, grilled meat, and boiled potatoes, and with vegetable salads.

For a noisy youthful party, Dzatziki can be served as original sauce to French fries, chips or cracker. Same quick way feed a large group: Make a light snack by spreading Greek dressing on slices of bread. If there is still a lot of time before the arrival of the guests, then you can bake eggplants, tomatoes, peppers or zucchini in the oven and generously pour vegetables with sauce before serving.

It is also easy to find use in the household of Tsatsiki. It will improve the taste of potatoes, dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, chops, cutlets, fried fish, etc. In general, Greek sauce is a great substitute for unleavened sour cream or fatty mayonnaise.

There are two ways to serve Dzadziki for a meal:

1. Pour or season the entire dish.
2. Pour Tzatziki into a sauce bowl and place separately on the table.

For large companies the second option is used more often, because the more people there are, the more varied their tastes and habits. If you are cooking for home, and you know all the preferences of family members, then you can safely use the first method. Do not forget only that in any case Tsatsiki sauce is cooling, which means that it must be kept in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Each nation has its own traditional dish and sauce. It is the national dishes that occupy places of honor in cookbooks of various cuisines of the world. In Greece traditional dish, including a snack, is considered to be the "Tsatziki" sauce, the recipes of which we will consider in today's article.

Tzatziki sauce: classic recipe

According to historical data, "Tsatziki" sauce appeared in Hellas. To date, it has undergone many modifications, this also affected its taste.

On a note! In some sources, the described sauce is called "Dzadziki". In our country, Greek sauce can be compared to okroshka cooked on a kefir basis.

As you already understood, today we will learn how to cook a real Greek sauce "Tsatziki". What do they eat it with? Often, the described food is served as an independent snack along with pita. Quite often the sauce "Tsatziki" is accompanied by fish, meat and vegetable dishes.

The classic sauce is prepared on the basis of natural yoghurt without any additives or dyes. Fresh cucumbers, garlic cloves, refined olive oil and allspice are added to the appetizer. But at the present time there are many other options for the preparation of the Greek "Tzatziki".

Compound:

• 0.25 l of Greek yogurt;
• salt and allspice to taste;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• 3 drops of balsamic vinegar;
• 1 tbsp. l. refined olive oil;
• 1 garlic clove.

Preparation:

1. To prepare this sauce, you will need high-quality yogurt, preferably Greek.
2. Fresh cucumber must be young, overripe fruit needs careful processing. Be sure to remove the seeds and skins.
   
3. Rinse the fresh cucumber well and dry it with a paper towel.
4. We rub it on a fine grater.

   

5. Add salt to taste, mix the cucumber mass.
6. Leave it for 10-15 minutes for the juice to stand out.
7. Then we strain it through a sieve, and lightly squeeze the cucumber mass with our palms so that it is not watery.
   
8. Pour the cucumber mass with Greek yogurt.
9. Add three drops of balsamic vinegar, refined olive oil.
10. Peel the garlic clove, pass it through a press and add to the rest of the ingredients.
    
11. Mix well until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
12. The sauce is immediately ready for use.

Recipe originally from Crete

Have you learned how to cook in classic performance Greek sauce "Tsatsiki". The recipe we'll look at now is popular in Crete. Some housewives replace fresh cucumbers with pickled ones. In this case, the sauce acquires a completely new and unusual taste.

On a note! Before serving, culinary experts recommend insisting the sauce for one hour in the refrigerator.



Compound:

• 0.5 l of Greek yogurt;
• 3 pcs. garlic cloves;
• salt to taste;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• a bunch of dill;
• 2 tbsp. l. refined olive oil;
• 1 lemon.

Preparation:

On a note! A little pickled cucumbers, dried herbs and spices can be added to the Tsatziki sauce. It is important to feel their balance so as not to spoil the taste of the prepared food.

We acquire new skills

As you can see, you won't need any outlandish products to make a true Tzatziki sauce. Here's just one problem - where to find natural Greek yogurt, because it is unlikely to be sold in a supermarket or in the grocery market?

Yogurt without additives, dyes and flavoring agents, which we take as a basis for preparing various sauces, will not be suitable for "Tsatziki". And if you want to make a great sauce, learn how to make Greek yogurt at home.

Compound:

• 1 liter of pasteurized cow's milk;
• 2 tbsp. l. sour cream with an average percentage of fat.

Preparation:

1. Pour pasteurized cow's milk into a thick-walled saucepan.
2. We put on a moderate heat and bring to a boil. At the same time, the milk must be constantly stirred so that it does not run away and burn.
3. As soon as the milk boils, we set it aside from the heat.
4. Cool to a temperature of 43 °.
5. To determine the desired temperature, you cannot do without a thermometer.
6. Add sour cream with an average percentage of fat to the boiled milk.
7. Mix well and leave in a warm secluded place for 8 hours. During this time, the fermentation process will take place.
8. After the specified time, we move the milk mixture for several hours in the refrigerator.
9. Now take a deep dish and cover it with a gauze cut folded in two or three layers.
10. We spread the mass, tie the gauze.
11. We hang the prepared mass vertically above the sink.
12. Leave it for a few hours to get rid of excess moisture.
13. The yogurt is ready, it should acquire a thick consistency.
14. Greek yogurt can be used to make Tzatziki sauce.

This sauce is prepared in a matter of minutes. You can make it for a change. daily menu... Serve Tzatziki sauce with fish fillets or a meat dish. To taste, it fully harmonizes with baked or fresh vegetables... And you can also do unleavened cakes... Bon Appetit!

Dzatziki (tzatziki, tzatziki) - cold sauce-yogurt snack, fresh cucumber and garlic. Tasty dish from Greek cuisine... it is very easy to prepare. Tzatziki sauce (tzatziki) served to meat dishes or fried fish, as well as to french fries or vegetables. Can be used as a dip for bread.

Greek tzatziki or tzatziki recipe

5 from 1 reviews

Greek tzatziki sauce (tzatziki)

Dzatziki sauce in Greek.

Type of dish: Sauces

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

• Yogurt with cream fat content (not sweet) 10% - 500 g,
• large cucumber - 1 pc.,
• garlic - 4-5 cloves,
• olive oil - 2.5 tbsp l.,
• Apple vinegar- 2.5 tbsp. l.,
• pepper,
• salt.

Preparation

1. Grate the cucumber, salt, mix and squeeze well. Add to yogurt (if the cucumbers are poorly squeezed, the sauce will turn out to be watery).
2. Add well-chopped garlic, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
3. Season with pepper, salt to taste and mix the sauce thoroughly.
4. In hot summertime, keep the sauce in the refrigerator for a little bit - this will make it even tastier.

Notes (edit)

How to use garlic in a sauce so that it does not emit a pungent and unloved odor.

Cut the garlic cloves in half and remove the green arrows from them. It is they who give any garlic dish a pungent unpleasant smell.

Bon Appetit! Greek tzatziki sauce (tzatziki)

Dzatziki (tzatziki, tzatziki) is a cold appetizer sauce made from yogurt, fresh cucumber and garlic. Delicious Greek dish. The Greek tzatziki (tzatziki) sauce is very easy to prepare. Dzatziki (tzatziki) sauce is served with meat dishes or fried fish, as well as french fries or vegetables. Can be used as a dip for bread. Recipe for Greek tzatziki or tzatziki 5 from 1 reviews Greek tzatziki sauce (tzatziki) Print Greek tzatziki sauce. Author: Povaryonok Dish Type: Sauces Cuisine: Greek Ingredients Yogurt with cream, fat content (not sweet) 10% - 500 g, large cucumber - 1 pc., Garlic - 4-5 cloves, olive oil - 2.5 tbsp. l., apple cider vinegar - 2.5 tbsp. l., pepper, ...

Dzatziki sauce is a cold addition to food that came to us straight from Greece. It is usually cooked with Greek yogurt and crushed garlic, lemon juice and cucumber pulp. In addition to this composition, other ingredients may be included in the sauce: fresh herbs, wine vinegar, onion and olives. If you want to cook thick tzatziki, then you need to take fat sour cream, kefir or yogurt as a basis. Below we will look at several recipes for this dish.

Classic sauce recipe

This is traditional version... The following ingredients are involved in the cooking process:

• natural unsweetened yogurt - 150-200 grams;
• cucumber - 200 grams;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• olive oil - 30 ml;
• table salt - half tablespoon

The number of listed ingredients can be changed. If you wish, you can do without the addition of olive oil or garlic, or, on the contrary, add more ingredients. To make quality homemade tzatziki, follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. Remove the skin from the cucumber and rub the vegetable on a fine grater. Squeeze out the juice.
2. Add yogurt, add salt and stir well.
3. Peel the garlic and pass through a press. In the absence of the latter, you can cut the vegetable into small pieces. Once the vegetable is chopped, add it to the ready-made composition.
4. Add olive oil.
5. Mix all the ingredients, using a mixer or blender if desired.

Serve the tzatziki sauce immediately or after chilling in the refrigerator. In the second case, it will thicken and acquire a brighter taste.

Sauce with lemon juice and herbs

To make tzatziki sauce according to this recipe, you will need:

• lemon juice - 1 tbsp;
• chilled fat sour cream - 2 tablespoons;
• dried dill and parsley - 1 tablespoon each;
• sea ​​salt - a pinch;
• cucumber - 150 grams;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• natural yogurt - 500 ml.

A step-by-step recipe for making this sauce looks like this:

1. Boil a sieve over a saucepan with hot water covering it with a napkin or towel.
2. Place yogurt on a sieve and leave overnight, covered with a cloth or plastic wrap.
3. Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds and grind the vegetable in a blender or grater. Squeeze out the juice.
4. Add this mixture to the yogurt. Pour lemon juice there and add herbs and salt.
5. Peel the garlic, chop it in a way available to you and add to the ready-made mixture.
6. Mix all the ingredients in a blender or in any way convenient for you.

Chill the tzatziki and serve.

Tzatziki with wine vinegar

To prepare dzatziki according to this recipe, you will need:

• natural yogurt - 500 ml;
• olive oil - 3 tablespoons;
• cucumbers - 150 grams;
• fresh herbs - 1 bunch;
• garlic - 1-3 cloves;
• wine vinegar - 1 tsp;
• salt and black pepper - a pinch.

Tzatziki sauce with wine vinegar is prepared according to the following recipe:

1. Grate the cucumbers after peeling them off. Squeeze out the juice.
2. Peel the garlic and pass through a press.
3. Mix the cucumbers and garlic and cover with yogurt.
4. Cut the greens into small pieces and add to the finished mass.
5. Add vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour in olive oil.
6. Bring to homogeneity with a blender.

Serve the tzatziki sauce cold. Add it to potatoes, meat, fish.

Pickled cucumber product

Traditionally, tzatziki sauce is made with pulp fresh cucumbers... However, there is an alternative recipe that uses pickles. The composition of this sauce includes:

• Pickled cucumbers - 100 grams;
• Thick yogurt or natural unsweetened sour cream - 300 grams;
• Dill or parsley - 1 bunch;
• Salt and black pepper - 1 pinch;
• Garlic - 2 cloves (can be replaced with asafoetida - half a teaspoon).

Cooking tzatziki is carried out in a few simple steps:

1. Place the sour cream in a deep bowl.
2. Grate cucumbers on a coarse grater and squeeze out the juice. If you wish, you can simply cut the vegetables into small pieces.
3. Chop the herbs.
4. Pass the garlic through a press and add to the existing mass.
5. Add salt and pepper. Choose the amount of ingredients based on your preferences.
6. Mix all the products thoroughly with each other and put the finished composition in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Tzatziki with lemon juice and mint

To make this sauce you will need:

• coarse salt - 1 tbsp;
• natural or Greek yogurt - 500 ml;
• cucumbers - 200 gr;
• dill - 1 bunch;
• mint - 10 gr;
• lemon juice - 2 tablespoons;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• shallots - 100 gr. (1 middle head);
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
• paprika to taste.

Dzadziki sauce is prepared according to the following recipe:

1. Peel the cucumbers and pass through a coarse grater. Place the resulting pulp on a sieve over a plate. Wait for excess liquid to drain and place in a separate deep bowl. Add salt and stir.
2. Peel the garlic and pass through a press. Add to cucumbers.
3. Chop the dill and mint finely. Transfer the herbs to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Peel and chop shallots into cubes. Add to the rest of the mass.
5. Pour everything with yogurt, pour in lemon juice, add black pepper, olive oil and paprika.
6. Beat the resulting mass using a mixer or blender.

If all points are observed correctly, you will get a homogeneous Tsatziki sauce with delicate taste... Serve the product with salads, potatoes, meat and fish. Pre-chill the sauce in the refrigerator.

Dzatziki with olives

To prepare such a dzatziki, you will need the following ingredients:

• fat sour cream - 500 ml;
• fresh cucumbers - 200 g;
• garlic - 6 cloves;
• olive oil - 4 tablespoons;
• vinegar - 3 tablespoons;
• dill - 1 bunch;
• salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the sauce, follow the instructions below:

1. Peel the cucumbers and seeds, pass through a grater.
2. Peel and crush the garlic with a press.
3. Cut the dill into small pieces.
4. Mix all the ingredients and cover with sour cream.
5. Add vinegar, olive oil, dill and spices.
6. Bring until smooth and sprinkle with olives.

The tzatziki sauce is ready to eat.