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Close up of Tarator topped with dill, walnuts, and a drizzle of olive oil.
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5 from 3 votes

Tarator: Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup from Bulgaria

Tarator is a cold soup made with yogurt and cucumbers. This Bulgarian dish is perfect for a light meal in the heat of summertime and would be delicious with a slice of crusty bread!
Course Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine Bulgaria
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 120kcal
Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ¾ large English cucumber peeled and finely diced
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup Greek Yogurt plain
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp dill fresh
  • ½ cup water

Instructions

  • Add ¾ cup finely diced cucumbers into a bowl along with all of the other ingredients except for the water. Stir to combine.
  • Drizzle ½ cup water into the bowl as you whisk. Once the water has thinned out the soup, check the consistency. If you like a thinner soup, you can add another ¼ - ½ cup.
  • Spoon into bowls and garnish with extra walnuts, olive oil, and dill if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
  1. Cucumber: Use an English cucumber (about ¾ of a large cucumber) if possible as the seeds are smaller and less invasive. If you end up using an American Cucumber, slice the cucumber in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds before dicing and adding to the Tarator. You can peel the cucumber or keep it unpeeled if desired.
  2. Walnuts: I used roasted walnuts, but you can also use raw walnuts
  3. Greek Yogurt: Plain, unflavored. I prefer full fat yogurt.
  4. Dill: Fresh dill makes a huge difference in the flavor of this recipe, but you can use dried dill in a pinch! 
  5. Salt: This recipe was made using sea salt, but not all salt is made the same. If you are using table salt, replace the ½ teaspoon sea salt with ¼ teaspoon salt.
  6. Garlic: Using fresh garlic, minced from garlic cloves, is the best option
  • Serve this as a first course in place of a salad, as a main course, or as a refresher between courses! You can also serve it as a side dish.
  • Make this 30 minutes ahead of time and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for best results. 
  • You can also use a Mortar and Pestle to assemble this soup if you prefer!
  • This is a very easy recipe to make "to taste". Sample a spoonful before serving and if you think the soup needs more of something, go ahead and add it!
  • Keep the cucumber unpeeled to add an even better color to the Tarator Soup. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg