Full-fat yoghurt is at the heart of this classic Greek dip, but the additions are up for grabs: should you dice your cucumber or grate it? Is punchy dill or cooling mint the perfect garnish? And how much garlic is too much?This classic dip (pronounced zat-zee-key or chat-chee-kee, according to who you listen to) is the Greek variation on a common theme around the Mediterranean and Middle East, or what I like to think of as “the yoghurt zone” – see also Balkan tarator, Turkish cacik and Iranian mast-o-khiar. Familiarity has bred contempt however, and poor old tzatziki has not emerged well from Greece’s tourism boom. As Rick Stein puts it, its reputation has been “tarnished by being offered in mass-produced form in every supermarket for consuming with those frightful taco chips for every rinks party from here to Wagga Wagga”. Personally, I rather like “taco chips” (though, after a week in Zante as a teenager, I prefer my tzatziki with Pringles), but he’s right: bland, watery versions, light on the cucumber and heavy on the cornflour have become the default option in many a dip quartet. Fortunately, it’s ridiculously easy to make yourself at home. Continue reading...
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