Greek cuisine is renowned for its fresh and flavoursome dishes, where verdant herbs, tangy citrus fruits, and premium olive oil serve as essential ingredients. Tzatziki incorporates all of these elements, plus creamy yoghurt and cucumber, alongside other spices. It’s simple to prepare within minutes if you possess the straightforward ingredient list, but a Greek food enthusiast insists nothing surpasses her genuine family recipe.
Food writer Georgina Hayden remarked, “It’s cooling, punchy, and addictive…for Greeks and Cypriots, there aren’t many meals where a bowl of tzatziki doesn’t make a welcome appearance.” The creamy dip is typically served alongside gyros, kebabs, or as part of a meze, but that’s beside the point regarding the recipe, observes Georgina.
She clarified that, regardless of how you opt to serve it, it must be thicker than most recipes recommend, according to her mum’s genuine Greek recipe.
Georgina revealed that during her childhood, her yiayia (grandmother), Martha, prepared a tub of taramosalata, whilst her mum created tzatziki.
“Those were the rules. Both ladies are famous for their dips. Make this for your friends and family, and you too can be famous for your tzatziki. It’s a good accolade to have”, she observed.
Creating the “best of the best tzatziki” is straightforward. You require the proper ingredients (full-fat Greek yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, dried mint, black pepper, flaky salt, olive oil, fresh lemon juice), and a spare 15 minutes to drain the yoghurt before anything else. Georgina’s family recipe adheres to a straightforward principle: season the yoghurt with a couple of generous pinches of flaky sea salt, then transfer it into a fine-mesh sieve positioned over the bowl.
The yoghurt should be left to drain for a minimum of 15 minutes or refrigerated overnight.
The Bon Appétit food writer explained, “The longer you leave it, the creamier your tzatziki will be.”
Once the strained yoghurt is prepared, transfer it into a large mixing bowl and rinse the sieve. For additional creaminess, you can line the sieve with cheesecloth before straining the yoghurt.
A comparable principle applies to the cucumber, which is naturally extremely watery. Cut one cucumber length-ways down the middle and remove the seeds, then grate the cucumber using a box grater and place it into the sieve.
Mix in an additional half teaspoon of flaky sea salt and leave for one hour to drain, stirring periodically to help remove excess moisture.
