A chilled summer soup of thick yogurt, grated cucumbers, crushed walnuts, garlic, and dill, thinned with ice water. Bulgaria's answer to the heat, served in every home and restaurant during the sweltering Balkan summers.
Ingredients
400g plain Bulgarian yogurt
2 cucumbers, grated
4 cloves garlic, crushed
50g walnuts, finely chopped
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
500ml cold water
Salt to taste
Ice cubes
Instructions
1Whisk yogurt until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually stir in cold water until the desired soup-like consistency is reached.
2Grate cucumbers on the coarse side of a box grater. Add grated cucumber to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine.
3Crush garlic with salt using a mortar or press directly into the soup. Mix thoroughly.
4Add chopped walnuts and sunflower oil. Stir to distribute evenly throughout the soup.
5Season with salt, add chopped dill, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve ice-cold with ice cubes floating on top.
Did You Know?
Bulgarian truck drivers keep thermoses of tarator in their cabs during summer, treating it as both food and cooling drink.