Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce: Cacik or Tzatziki
The cooling combination of
cucumber with yogurt for a sauce or soup is quite ancient.
Yogurt is an old method for
preserving fresh milk, at least for a while, in warm climates, and was
particularly valuable before the advent of refrigeration. Yogurt making is
traditional throughout Central Asia, and it was almost certainly brought to the
Eastern Mediterranean and Europe by the Turks.

Here’s the Middle Eastern sauce
as I learned to make it from Turkish chef friends. Though they spoke Turkish,
from schooling, they were ethnic Kurds and spoke Kurdish in their families. Their
word for the sauce was pronounced “jajook,” to make the name game even more
complicated.
At our restaurant, Donderos’
Kitchen, we call it cacik (“jajeek”) and serve it on falafel wraps and with
kebabs and pilaf rice.
The recipe makes enough for
serving with food for six to eight people. Leftovers keep well in the
refrigerator for 4-5 days.
1 medium cucumber
2 cups (16 ounces) plain
whole-milk yogurt* (Greek style is especially good for this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill (or substitute mint or
cilantro)
Lemon juice to make mixture slightly tangy
1 tablespoon olive oil
Peel cucumber only if skin is tough or waxed. Quarter it
lengthwise and remove seed section, if seeds are developed. Grate the cucumber
coarsely and squeeze out much of the juice.
Mix cucumber with the yogurt and salt. Let sit at least15
minutes. Mix, taste and add salt, if desired. Stir in the dill and add a
little lemon juice, to taste, plus the olive oil.
When serving, optionally sprinkle with sumac (from Middle
Eastern or gourmet groceries) or paprika, plus finely minced dill.
*Note: If making this as an appetizer (but not for making a sauce), before adding
other ingredients, place yogurt in clean thin cloth (like a cloth napkin or
handkerchief) and hang up to drain at least half an hour.