Turkish food is one of my absolute favourites. For me, there is simply nothing better than having a table filled with Turkish-style salads, dips, mezze style bits and grill. All mopped up with flatbreads, or pitta, or whatever fluffy goodness is being served up. And cacik, this yoghurty cucumber dip, is an ESSENTIAL part of the Turkish dining experience.
It is very similar to tzatziki from Greece, so if you love that, there’s no chance you won’t love this. In fact, I am still slightly unsure what the difference between the two dips are. A quick search online suggests cacik is supposed to be thinner, and slightly more watery than tzatziki. It also mentions that tzatziki tends to use dill, and cacik mint. But look, they are both delicious, and are essential whenever and wherever you’re enjoying a Turkish or Greek-style feast.
As you’ll see here (oops saturation from this old photo was slightly too high haha), I went rogue and used dried mint as the main herb to flavour the yoghurt, and then topped with fresh dill - just because I had some in the fridge! But by all means, stick to one herb, whether it’s fresh or dried. As you might be able to guess, it’s a super simple one to do too…
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
500g plain yoghurt
1 cucumber
1 garlic clove
1 lemon
1 tbsp dried mint
Handful fresh dill (optional)
1 tsp smoked paprika
Extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
Grate the cucumber, crush the garlic, then mix with the yoghurt, mint & the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Season to taste, then serve with dipper of choice + enjoy!
Cacik is ideal for dipping, but dolloped on top of döner (mushroom döner of course!), or spread inside of sandwiches is a game changer too. So enjoy, and as always, let me know if you give it a go in the comments below…