Bulgarian Tarator

Chilled Yogurt Soup

There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day as a bowl of chilled soup. I’d put this Bulgarian classic among the ranks of other chilled soups, such as gazpacho and vichyssoise. With yogurt, dill, and cucumbers, the flavor combination evokes thoughts of the Mediterranean.

Bulgaria, along with Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa, was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years. During this time, the people and ideas under the Sultan’s rule mixed freely—what today we call Bulgarian cuisine has much in common with other former Ottoman territories. From moussaka to baklava many Bulgarian spreads may appear, at first glance, to be identical to those laid out in Turkey or Greece. But there are regional twists that make the cuisine of each of these countries unique. In Bulgarian this tarator, I especially enjoy the sprinkling of chopped walnuts and the use of sunflower oil instead of olive oil, which endows the soup with signature stamps of Bulgarian authenticity.

Ingredients:

· 2 c. cucumbers, peeled and diced

· 2 c. plain yogurt

· 3-6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

· ¼ c. chopped fresh dill

· 1 T. sunflower oil

· 1-2 t. white vinegar

· Salt

· 3 T. chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Place the cucumbers in a medium bowl.

2. Beat the yogurt separately until it liquefies. Add water to thin the consistency, if necessary. It should be thick, like buttermilk.

3. Mix in the garlic, oil, and dill. Add vinegar and salt to taste. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers.

4. Chill for thirty minutes to one hour before serving.

5. Portion into bowls and garnish with walnuts.