Tarator (Таратор)
Overview
Tarator is Bulgaria's cold summer soup, a refreshing mix of tangy yogurt thinned with cold water, finely chopped or grated cucumber, crushed garlic, dill and crushed walnuts, finished with a little sunflower or olive oil. Bulgarian yogurt, fermented with the locally famous Lactobacillus bulgaricus, gives it a pleasant sourness. It needs no cooking at all and takes about fifteen minutes to make, so it appears on almost every Bulgarian table in hot weather, often as a starter or alongside grilled meat. Ice cubes are sometimes added to each bowl. Close relatives exist across the Balkans and in Türkiye, where a similar dish is called cacık, and in North Macedonia as taratur.
History
Tarator is a traditional dish of Bulgaria, where yogurt has long been central to the diet. The name is also used across the former Ottoman lands for various sauces made with nuts, garlic and yogurt or vinegar, which suggests a shared history around the Balkans and Anatolia. Bulgarian tarator developed into the cold cucumber and yogurt soup known today, a natural choice for hot summers. Related dishes include Turkish cacık and Greek tzatziki, which are usually thicker and served as dips or sides.
Main ingredients
Yogurt, cucumber, garlic, walnuts, dill, sunflower oil. The soup is built on yogurt and water and is usually served cold. Diet: vegetarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Yogurt soups · Cucumber soups · More soups from Bulgaria
Recipe
Method
- 1
Whisk the yogurt with the cold water until smooth and pourable.
- 2
Stir in the cucumber, garlic, dill and most of the walnuts.
- 3
Season with salt and stir in the oil.
- 4≥ 30 min
Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- 5
Serve very cold, topped with the remaining walnuts and an ice cube if you like.
- ✓
Serve. About 15 min from start to bowl.
Pictures
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
