Tarator (Bulgarian Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup)

About This Recipe

Tarator is Bulgaria's edible answer to summer heat — a thin, ice-cold soup of strained yogurt thinned with water, studded with diced cucumber, crushed walnuts, raw garlic, fresh dill, and a glug of sunflower or walnut oil. It is poured from clay jugs at village lunches, served in glass tumblers as an appetizer at Sofia restaurants, and ladled into bowls with ice cubes floating on top in the height of August. Despite its simplicity, the balance is precise — too much garlic and it burns; too much water and it thins to nothing; too little dill and it tastes like dressing rather than soup. Real Bulgarian tarator must use Bulgarian-style yogurt made with Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacterium discovered in Bulgaria and named after the country, which gives the yogurt its signature tang and thick body.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gBulgarian or thick Greek yogurt
• 400 mlice-cold water
• 2 mediumcucumbers, peeled and finely diced
• 60 gshelled walnuts, finely crushed
• 2 clovesgarlic, very finely grated or pounded to a paste
• 3 tbspfresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 tbspwalnut oil or sunflower oil
• 1 tspfine salt
• 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar (optional)
• ice cubes, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare cucumbers

   Peel cucumbers and dice into very small (4 mm) cubes. Toss with 1/2 tsp salt in a colander and let drain 10 minutes — this concentrates flavor and removes excess water.

2. 2

   Crush walnuts

   Place walnuts in a mortar or zip-top bag. Crush coarsely with a pestle or rolling pin — you want pebble-sized bits, not powder.

3. 3

   Make garlic paste

   Pound garlic with a pinch of salt to a smooth paste. This step is critical — minced garlic stays harsh, paste melts into the yogurt.

4. 4

   Whisk the base

   In a large bowl whisk yogurt with cold water until completely smooth and pourable. Add garlic paste, remaining salt, and oil. Whisk again.

5. 5

   Combine

   Pat cucumber dry with a tea towel. Stir cucumbers, crushed walnuts, and most of the dill into the yogurt base. Taste; adjust salt and add vinegar if you like more tang.

6. 6

   Chill

   Refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably 2. Tarator must be ice-cold to taste right.

7. 7

   Serve

   Stir before serving — yogurt separates slightly. Ladle into glass bowls or tumblers. Float 2 ice cubes in each. Drizzle with a thread of walnut oil and scatter remaining dill.

Variations

• •

  Snezhanka (Snow White salad) — strain the same mixture overnight in cheesecloth for a thick dip eaten with bread.

• •

  Add 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint with the dill for a cooler twist.

• •

  Skip walnuts for a lighter, faster everyday version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days. Stir well before serving. Do not freeze — yogurt separates irreversibly.

Frequently Asked Questions