Tzatziki is a refreshing and tangy sauce that works perfectly with meat and salad as part of a wonderfully summery dinner. It’s also a great dip, and just a really really nice word!
I’ve been to Greece (well, the Islands of) a couple of times and honestly one of my favourite things is the food. Although I find that this is true of travel in general.
I love to eat new things, try new flavours, and even love shopping for food in other parts of the world. It’s fab.
I also love to bring some of these recipes home with me. I love experimenting with things that I’ve tasted while away from home.
My recipes certainly aren’t authentic, but they bring back lots of lovely summer holiday memories, and we enjoy them, which really, is all that matters!
What is Tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dipping sauce, often served as part of a meze, or appetizer. It’s made with Greek yoghurt and cucumber, with a little garlic, olive oil, and salt.
I add a little lemon juice too.
Tzatziki is a really refreshing sauce. It’s funny because, actually, cucumber is one of the few things that I don’t like, but I love the flavour of this sauce.
I also love that cucumber 7up but that’s neither here nor there.
Where Does it Come From?
Traditional Greek tzatziki actually has Indian Roots.
During the Ottoman Empire Persians enjoyed Raita to cool down spicier dishes. The Greeks especially enjoyed the cooling and refreshing flavours of Raita and soon started to experiment with yoghurt and cucumber flavours.
So, Tzatziki was born.
You can find out more about the history of Tzatziki sauce here.
What Does Tzatziki Taste Like?
The Perfect tzatziki should be creamy, but also quite tangy.
You can clearly taste the flavours of the different tzatziki ingredients, so if you add dill, instead of lemon to your Easy tzatziki recipe you’ll definitely be able to tell the difference.
Can You Add Other Flavours to Tzatziki?
You absolutely can experiment with the flavours that you use. I add a little lemon, but you don’t have to. I know dill is quite a popular addition too. You could also try parsley and mint.
How is Tzatziki Pronounced?
Basically, I think to pronounce tzatziki, you really just skip the T. So it’s more “zat zee key”.
Is Greek Tzatziki Healthy?
Like most dips and condiments this Tzatziki recipe UK is ok in moderation.
I wouldn’t recommend sitting and eating the whole bowl with a big plate of chips, but Tzatziki and chicken on a salad or wrap can be a very healthy meal.
Greek Yoghurt is actually pretty high in protein, and relatively low fat, so a good spread of Tzatziki for gyros certainly isn’t anything to worry about.
How Do You Eat Tzatziki?
I always make fresh Tzatziki when we have Greek wraps with leftover lamb. It’s great with meat and salad like this.
But, it’s also a fab dipping sauce for homemade flatbreads, pittas, or even breadsticks. The perfect addition to a summer picnic.
How Long Does Homemade Tzatziki Last?
This tzatziki will be fine covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. Alternatively, freeze in an airtight container for up to two months.
It may separate slightly on thawing, but a good mix tends to bring it back together.
The texture might not be exactly the same as fresh, but it is safe to eat. You could also half this recipe if you wanted to make a smaller batch.
How to Make Tzatziki
Making tzatziki is fairly simple. You just mix your ingredients together in a bowl. My main tip is to squeeze the cucumber.
Preparing the Cucumber
Grating cucumber has got to be one of my least favourite things to do. Even after you’ve scooped the seeds out of the middle, it’s just all so wet! But, it’s necessary.
Grate your cucumber, and then you can leave it to drain in a sieve, over a bowl in the fridge, with a little salt mixed in.
You’d need to leave this overnight because cucumbers can apparently reproduce their water and it just keeps on coming!
You could also give it a good squeeze, leave it in the sieve for 30 minutes, come back, and squeeze again.
But, I haven’t got the patience for this. At all. So, I squeeze my cucumber out, before wrapping it in a clean tea towel and squeezing it out in this.
Do this a few times, rewrapping in dry parts of the towel and you’ve soon got nice dry cucumber.
Why is My Tzatziki Bitter?
If you’ve followed a recipe but your dip is bitter, it might be that you didn’t drain enough water out of your cucumber, you didn’t add enough salt, or you might be better leaving your prepared dip to sit in the fridge for a few hours before eating.
Sometimes, it’s bitter because of the raw ingredients, perhaps very strong garlic, or bitter cucumber. Adding extra yoghurt, or a little soured cream to taste can help.
On the other hand, Greek yoghurt is a fairly bitter flavour, so you might prefer to mix in a little soured cream to dilute the flavour or a little extra olive oil.
What Can I Do with Leftovers?
If you have a big pot that you’ve made for a specific meal, you might be wondering What is tzatziki eaten with.
A Tzatziki dip is super refreshing and works well as a condiment. You can dip chips in it, spread it on sandwiches, or even use it as a sauce for salads and wraps. I think the flavour works well with chicken, but also have it on lamb or pork wraps.
Homemade tzatziki is a fantastic condiment, that works well with lots of different meats, breads, and other flavours, so enjoy experimenting with it as a dip or spread if you’ve got leftovers.
Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cucumber
- 2 Cloves Garlic ( Crushed)
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 220 g Greek Yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Place the oil and garlic in a small bowl, mix together and leave to one side.
- Slice the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds.
- Grate into a sieve, sitting in a bowl.
- Add a big pinch of salt and squeeze the water out with your hands.
- Wrap the cucumber in a clean tea towel and squeeze.
- Repeat with dry sections of the towel until the cucumber is as dry as it will get.
- Place the dry cucumber in a bowl, add the garlic and oil, yoghurt, and lemon juice.
- Mix together, cover and place in the fridge until needed.
Video
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
Yum! Thank you for the recipe. My father in-law is Italian and he always said to stop a cucumber from being bitter, you cut the end off and rub that against the end (where you cut it from). You will see a white foam appear and you just rinse it off and hey presto, no bitterness!
ooh that’s interesting, thank you for the tip!