Cacık

Cacık

In Turkish: Cacık, pronounced “jah-jik” (in Hebrew it is written “ג’אג’יק”). It is the Turkish relative of Greek tzatziki, and the difference between the two is not trivial: Turkish cacık is much more liquid, almost a cold soup, and is served in a small bowl with a spoon alongside meat dishes. Greek tzatziki is thick and is used as a dip.

It is the simplest dish to make in Turkish cuisine, and also the most nutritionally balanced: yogurt, cucumber, garlic and mint — almost no calories and real protein and calcium. In the Turkish summer it is served ice cold next to Adana kebab, where its job is to cool the heat and balance the fat of the meat.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Chilling time: 30 minutes · Total: about 45 minutes · Yield: 4 small bowls · Difficulty: Very easy

A whole family of yogurt, cucumber and garlic

The idea of thinned yogurt with cucumber and garlic spans the whole region, and almost every cuisine has its own name for it: cacık in Turkey, tzatziki in Greece, tarator in Bulgaria and Albania (where walnuts are added), and mast-o-khiar in Iran, which gets raisins and nuts. Linguists agree that the Greek name was borrowed from the Turkish, but the dish itself probably predates both names — yogurt, cucumber and garlic were available throughout the region long before it had borders.

The logic behind the dish is the same in every version: a sour, cooling dish that accompanies a fatty or spicy meat dish. In Turkey that’s Adana kebab and manti, in Greece grilled meat, and in Iran rice with lamb. This isn’t a tradition of garnish but of balance.

Ingredients (for 4 small bowls)

• 500 g plain yogurt (3% or 5%; thick Greek yogurt will need more water)
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon dried mint, or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 100-150 ml cold water (or ice water)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for serving
• Salt, and a pinch of sumac or pul biber for garnish

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Plain 3% or 5% yogurt and regular supermarket cucumbers work. Add the water gradually, since thickness varies between products. For garnish you can use sumac, or a pinch of sweet paprika instead of pul biber, the Turkish pepper flakes.

Method

1. Prepare the cucumber. Grate on a coarse grater or chop into tiny cubes. Cubes are more authentic and give some bite; grating gives an even texture.
2. Remove the water — the critical step. Salt the cucumber with 1 teaspoon of salt, let it stand 10 minutes in a colander and squeeze by hand. Without this step the cucumber will release water for an hour and the dish will separate into layers in the bowl.
3. Mix. Whisk the yogurt with the crushed garlic and mint until smooth, add the squeezed cucumber and thin with the cold water to a liquid texture — cacık should flow off the spoon, not sit on it.
4. Adjust the seasoning with salt, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Cacık must be very cold.
5. Serve in a small bowl, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of dried mint or sumac on top.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The recommended serving is a small bowl of about 150 g, a quarter of the recipe.

Without the olive oil on top, a serving is only about 90 calories; with 0% yogurt it drops to about 60, and with full-fat Greek yogurt it rises to about 145. The tablespoon of olive oil drizzled on top is about 120 calories for the whole recipe, or about 30 per bowl — roughly a quarter of the number.

This is one of the few cases where a traditional dish is both nutrient-dense and low in calories: about 5 g of protein and about 15% of daily calcium in about 120 calories. The yogurt also provides probiotic bacteria, similar to kefir but in a narrower variety.

Variations and tips

• The Antalya version adds crushed almonds and a little vinegar, and serves cacık almost as a cold soup.
• Ayran: The same idea without cucumber — yogurt, water and salt, whipped. Turkey’s national lunchtime drink, about 60 calories per glass.
• Lactose-free: Well-fermented yogurts are low in lactose, and most lactose-sensitive people handle them well. Alternatively you can use soy milk-based yogurt, though the calcium content differs.
• Garlic: Crushing the garlic with salt breaks the cells and releases allicin. If you want a milder flavor, crush only one clove and make the dish an hour ahead.

Summary

Cacık is proof that a four-ingredient dish can be a complete dish: it cools, adds protein and calcium, and balances fatty meat dishes at a cost of 120 calories. It’s meant to be served alongside Adana kebab or pide, not on its own. More recipes in Turkish cuisine.