Cacık

Cacik

Cacık served as side dish

When served as mezze

Main ingredents of Greek style tzatziki

When cacik is served as soup

Cacik is a traditional dish consumed widely across the regions once governed by the Ottoman Empire. Predominantly based on seasoned yogurt, its recipe variations span from Turkey to the Balkans.

Description

Cacik is primarily composed of seasoned, strained or diluted yogurt, mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Depending on regional preferences, additions might include vinegar, lemon juice, and a medley of herbs such as dill, mint, parsley, and thyme. This dish is always served cold and is analogous to tarator found in Balkan cuisine.

Etymology

The origins of the word "cacık" remain ambiguous, with strong indications of its derivation from the Armenian term cacıg. The base cac shows similarities with several words in Western Asian dialects, such as Persian "zhazh" denoting cooking herbs, and Kurdish (Kurmanji) "jaj" meaning caraway. Meanwhile, the suffix -ık is Turkish, showing semblance to Armenian -ıχ (-ıg).

Historical references cite cacıχ (cacıg) in Evliya Çelebi's 17th-century travelogue Seyâhatnâme as a type of herb. There are also instances where it was equated with the Van herbed cheese from eastern Turkey in writings prior to the 20th century. The most modern and widely accepted definition, stemming from Ahmet Vefik Pasha's 1876 Ottoman Turkish dictionary, identifies cacık as a yogurt-based herb salad.

In colloquial Turkish, "cacık" also translates to "fool" or "naïf".

Variations

Turkey

The Turkish rendition of cacık is a fusion of yogurt, salt, olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped cucumber, and mint. Some recipes might incorporate vinegar (often sourced from white grape or apple), lemon juice, sumac, dill, thyme (either fresh or dried), and paprika.

Depending on its intended consumption, the consistency of cacık varies. When it serves as an accompaniment to main dishes, it is often diluted with water. However, when consumed as a meze, it retains a thicker consistency. Occasionally, alternatives like lettuce or carrots might replace cucumbers, resulting in variants termed kış cacığı (winter cacık) or havuç tarator.

Haydari stands as a distinct preparation, made with herbs, spices, garlic, and strained yogurt or labne, devoid of cucumber and possessing a saltier and tangier taste than cacık.

Greece

Main article: Tzatziki

Greece's counterpart to cacık is tzatziki, a sauce frequently paired with grilled meats or presented as a meze. It employs strained yogurt (typically sourced from sheep or goat milk), cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, occasionally lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, or parsley.

Cyprus

In Cyprus, this dish is christened talattouri (akin to tarator). Local recipes generally employ less garlic and favor the addition of mint.

The Balkans

Main article: Tarator

Multiple Balkan nations, including Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia, offer dishes reminiscent of cacık under the name tarator. In these regions, "dry tarator" or "Snezhanka" salad (translating to "snow white salad") is a popular appetizer. It employs drained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt, and vegetable oil.

Bulgaria also offers a salad variant of tarator called "Snowwhite salad", also termed Dry Tarator, which uses thick yogurt devoid of water.

In Macedonia, tarator or taratur is seasoned with garlic and consists of soured milk, cucumber, sunflower oil, salt, and dill.

Serbia sees tarator primarily as a salad or dip, known as "tarator salata".

In Albania, Tarator is especially favored in the summertime. It merges yogurt, garlic, parsley, cucumber, salt, and olive oil.

Middle East

Regions like Iraq have dishes akin to cacık, called jajeek. They often accompany alcoholic beverages, notably Arak. In Iran, mast-o-khiar which means yogurt with cucumber is a popular variant.

Other Variants and Similar Dishes

Other regions present dishes reminiscent of cacık. The Caucasus, for instance, has ovdukh using kefir instead of yogurt. India has raita, blending yogurt, cucumber, salt, and ground cumin, occasionally with added onions.

See also

• Tarator
• Ayran
• Qatiq
• Raita
• Cold borscht
• List of dairy products
• List of hors d'oeuvre
• Milk salad