Tzatziki, a humble dish prepared with yogurt and cucumber,
has a rich and diverse history that spans the Mediterranean, the Middle East,
and India. In fact, tzatziki is perhaps
the most Ottoman of all the dishes we prepared.
It demonstrates the scope and importance of Ottoman trade routes, especially in fostering cultural, and in our case
culinary, exchange. To make a long story
very short, this quintessentially Greek appetizer and dip traveled from India
through the Middle East before it made its way into Greek cookbooks.
I am sure you are all wondering when and where India enters
tzatziki’s history. The simple answer is
that tzatziki is a Greek interpretation of Indian raita. Tracing the culinary and cultural exchanges
that occurred over time allowing for raita to be transformed into tzatziki is
what makes this story interesting.
Believe it or not, the major dish linking raita to tzatziki
is biryani, a Persian rice dish that was introduced to India while it was under
Mughal control. The Mughal Empire, which
was mostly led by the Persian Muslim elite, controlled the Indian subcontinent
from 1526 to 1827 (if those dates do not sound familiar it is because you did
not read our last post on the Ottoman Empire’s impact on the evolution of the
dolmade. You can read it here.)
 |
| A Mughal painting of the battle of Panipat and the death of Sultan Ibrahim, the last of the Lodi Sultans of Delhi |
As is traditional in most hierarchical
societies and empires, the ruling elite relied on locals for day-to-day tasks. This meant that Indians cooked and prepared meals for the Persian
Muslim ruling elite. Biryani, which was
often prepared for the Mughal court combined the familiar with the unknown: it
combined the markings of a Persian pilaf but was cooked like many of the spicy
rice dishes of Hindustan. It would appear however, that the Persian elite,
unaccustomed to Indian spices, found these dishes to be too spicy. The Indian solution to the issue of too much
heat was raita: this yogurt and cucumber sauce helped tame Biryani’s
spiciness.
Raita
travelled back to the Middle East via the Persian Mughal Empire and was
eventually introduced to the Ottoman world via common trade routes and exchange
points. For whatever reason, the Greeks,
more than any other Ottoman nationality, appear to have appropriated and
integrated this yogurt and cucumber dish into their culinary repertoire that its
Indian roots are practically invisible.
Our recipe barely shows any signs of tzatziki’s indian origins but we
thought you would appreciate the anecdote anyways.
Happy cooking,
Lavender
Ingredients
4 garden
cucumbers
One large
container of regular yogurt (I recommend using at least 2% full fat yogurt)
Two cloves of
fresh crushed garlic
A generous
handful of chopped fresh dill, mint, or flat leaf parsley
Juice from half
a lemon
Cracked pepper
Dash of salt
This is one of
my favourite dips and I’ve been making it for years. It’s awesome on burgers
and with chips or pita or you know, a spoon.
If you’re using
Garden cucumbers (like we were) you’ll want to scoop out the seeds and peel
them. I know it seems like you’re losing a lot of veg here but it will really
improve the consistency.
We started our
tzatziki the day before the dinner party. If you’re in a hurry then you can buy
Greek yogurt but we made our own.
To make Greek
yogurt:
· Line a
strainer with a clean tea towel (if you use scented fabric softner, then you’ll
have to rinse the tea towel in hot water and white vinegar before using it to
drain your yogurt.)
· Plop
one container of regular yogurt into your strainer. I always use a minimum of
2% full fat yogurt because it’s way more delicious!
·
Place
one end of your tea towel back over the yogurt and place a small plate on top
of the towel
·
Put a
jar of mustard, olives, jam etc on top of the plate in the fridge and let it
drain overnight
·
In a
few hours you’ll see the whey draining into the bowl. Reserve the whey and add
it to soup stock for a nice tangy boost of nutrition!
·
Once your yogurt
is draining grate the cucumber into another strainer and give it a good
thorough salting. The salt helps draw out the moisture in the cucumber and with
help your tzaziki keep longer in the fridge.
Try to salt and
drain your cucumber for a minimum of two hours but if you’re pressed for time
give it about 30 minutes before mixing ingredients together.
Day of:
Add:
- two cloves of fresh crushed garlic
- a generous handful of chopped fresh dill, mint, or flat leaf parsley
- juice from half a lemon
- cracked pepper and maybe a dash more of salt but since you’ve already salted the cucumber you might not want to add any more
 |
| A bowl of freshly made tzatziki waiting to be devoured. |
It’s important
to remember that all these quantities can and should be adjusted for taste.
There are also versions of tzatziki with no garlic or with no herbs and lemon
zest as well as juice. It is entirely up to you! Have fun and keep a piece of
pita on hand so you can taste as you go.
Bon appétit,
Basil
Bon appétit,
Basil
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