A Greek sauce or dip made from yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs like dill or mint, commonly served with grilled meats and vegetables.
From Greek 'tzatziki,' possibly derived from Turkish 'cacık,' which comes from Persian. The sauce represents the cultural exchange across the Mediterranean, with similar yogurt-cucumber preparations found throughout the region.
The key to perfect tzatziki is removing water from the cucumber by salting and draining it—this ancient technique prevents the sauce from becoming watery! Greek cooks traditionally used coarse sea salt and let the cucumber drain overnight, understanding that excess moisture would break the yogurt's creamy consistency and dilute the flavors.
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