World's Best Tzatziki Recipe | Live Eat Learn (2024)

FAQs

How do Greek people eat tzatziki? ›

Greeks usually eat tzatziki with bread, it is also used for the famous souvlaki wrapped in a pita and ofcourse in gyros. Almost all Greeks love dipping bread and Greek fries in tzatziki that is served at every traditional restaurant.

Conclusion. Tzatziki is not only a tasty, multi-use sauce, it's also a smart food pick. Its blend of yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon, and herbs delivers key nutrients, which are proposed to support heart health, gut health, and may even lower diabetes risk.

Tzatziki sauce should be kept in a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator when you're not using it. As long as it's stored properly, you can expect homemade tzatziki to last about three to four days. This will depend on how fresh the yogurt was when you made the sauce.

What is tzatziki? Tzatziki is a salted yogurt and cucumber dip that's made of strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Authentic Greek tzatziki is most often made with sheep or goat yogurt, but my tzatziki recipe calls for regular full-fat Greek yogurt.

Etymology. The word tzatziki appeared in English around the mid-20th century as a loanword from Modern Greek (τζατζίκι), which in turn comes from the Turkish word cacık. The root is likely related to several words in Western Asian languages.

Your main ingredient – the cucumber – is often the culprit. To avoid this, make sure that you choose the right variety: English and Persian cucumbers have very little, or no, bitterness. Also sample a slice before grating and avoid using the ends as this is where the bitter compounds will be most concentrated.

However, if you want to eat without worrying about your health, hummus is a great dip that goes with a lot of foods like fish, chicken and falafel. Tzatziki goes well with traditional Greek foods like gyros, and it also is healthier, with a lot less sodium.

Tzatziki sauce is perfect healthy snack, especially thanks to protein-packed greek yogurt, shredded cucumber and anti-inflammatory garlic. It's as simple as it sounds: yogurt cucumber sauce!

One dip in particular that is almost always made with dairy is tzatziki sauce, as it's generally made with a yogurt base. Unfortunately this isn't always ideal for those with IBS symptoms!

VERDICT: Trader Joe's tzatziki had a lovely, refreshing taste and a mellow garlic flavor that I found simply irresistible.

What pairs well with tzatziki sauce? ›

Tzatziki is good friends with grilled and roasted meats, especially juicy lamb chops. Serve it up with a crunchy fattoush salad – a combination of torn pitta, cooling cucumber, ripe tomatoes, sweet lettuce and refreshing mint – for a bonus hit of fresh, summer flavour.

Tzatziki will last about four days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. While you can freeze it, it will change a bit in regards to texture and consistency when it comes time to thawing it out.

For the uninitiated, tzatziki is a yogurt-based dip that is laced with cucumber, garlic, lemon, and mint (dried or fresh, depending on who's making it). It's cooling and punchy and addictive. You'll most likely find it in a gyro or kebab of some sort, or as part of a meze.

More than any other nation in the Ottoman Empire, the Greeks enjoyed this dish immensely. However, they also experimented with this classic cucumber and yogurt dip until its Indian roots were almost invisible. Tzatziki (derived from the Turkish word cacık) was born.

Shred unpeeled cucumber with large holes of grater (I use this Microplane box grater) or food processor. Using a clean towel or paper towels, scoop a handful of shredded cucumber into towel and squeeze over sink. Allow the cucumber juice to drain out.

They have lain amorously as dressing on salads, chicken or beef dishes, as well as béchamel sauce. They have seasoned salty pies, while their offspring, made with garlic and cucumber, is famous worldwide as tzatziki. In some areas of Greece, yoghurt is served for fresh summer soups.

In Greece, this strained yogurt is called straggisto, and is often used to make dips (think tzatziki), to spread on flat bread eaten with olives, pickles, olive oil, usually veggies (we usually go with onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes), and often with cheese (doesn't get betta than feta!).

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and served around 2 pm, always with salad and bread on the table. Dinner is leftovers from lunch or a light meal of cheese, bread, olives, or fruit. This is how I grew up eating with my aunts and dad in Greece and how they eat to this day.

The Greek gyro is traditionally served with tzatziki, a spicy sauce made from ground beef or pork. However, today, gyros are often served with french fries, potato chips, Greek yogurt, and tomatoes. Besides pita wraps, they can also be topped with fried potatoes.