Cacık — Turkish yogurt with cucumber, dried mint, garlic, olive oil, and cold water — is the ancestor preparation from which Greek tzatziki derived (via Turkish influences on Greek cooking throughout the Ottoman period). The distinction: Turkish cacık is a thin, cold preparation — diluted with ice water to a sauce consistency and served as a cold soup or dressing. Greek tzatziki is thicker and spreadable. Both are correct in their contexts; they are different preparations using the same base ingredients.
- **The yogurt:** Full-fat, Turkish-style (sharper and more sour than European yogurt) — süzme yoğurt (strained) for a thicker cacık; regular for the thinner version - **The cucumber preparation:** Grated on the large holes of a box grater, then squeezed completely dry. The same squeeze principle as sunomono and raita — any water in the cucumber dilutes the yogurt within minutes - **Dried mint:** Specifically dried, not fresh. The dried mint's menthol is more concentrated and stable; fresh mint's volatile compounds dissipate rapidly when combined with acidic yogurt - **The cold water addition:** 2–4 tablespoons of ice water per portion of cacık — stirred through at service to thin the preparation to its characteristic consistency. This dilution also distributes the garlic and mint aromatics more evenly - **Garlic:** A very small amount — 1/4 clove for a full bowl. More overpowers the delicate mint-cucumber-yogurt balance
The Turkish Cookbook