Cacık

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Peel the cucumber in stripes if you like a bit of color, then grate it on the coarse side of a grater. Squeeze out excess water with clean hands so the cacık stays thick rather than watery. Finely grate or crush the garlic, and finely chop the dill.

   150 g cucumber1 small clove (3 g) garlic1 tbsp, finely chopped (4 g) fresh dill
2. 2

   In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with the cold water until smooth and creamy. Stir in the salt, black pepper, dried mint, chopped dill, garlic, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

   300 g plain full-fat Greek yogurt30 ml cold water1/4 tsp fine salt1/8 tsp black pepper1 tsp dried mint1 tbsp, finely chopped (4 g) fresh dill1 small clove (3 g) garlic1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3. 3

   Fold in the grated cucumber. Taste and adjust salt if needed. The texture should be spoonable but loose enough to ripple; add a teaspoon or two more cold water only if you prefer a thinner, more traditional consistency.

   150 g cucumber
4. 4

   Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and scatter over the extra dried mint and dill. Serve immediately, well chilled if possible, with warm bread, grilled vegetables, or as part of a meze spread.

   1 tsp (5 ml) extra-virgin olive oil1/4 tsp dried mint1 tsp, finely chopped (1 g) fresh dill

Origin & History

Cacık is a classic Turkish yogurt dish made with cucumber, herbs, and garlic, commonly served as part of a meze table or alongside grilled foods. It is closely related to other yogurt-cucumber dishes across the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, but in Turkey it is especially known for its refreshing, herbaceous character and can be served either thick as a dip or thinned as a cold soup.