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Tzatziki

A Greek yogurt dip with cucumber, garlic, salt, vinegar, and oil.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Cucumber and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,556 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Tzatziki

4 servings

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Grate the garlic.

  2. Mix the grated garlic with salt and vinegar.

  3. Peel the cucumber.

  4. Squeeze the cucumber to remove all its water.

Make the tzatziki

  1. Put the yogurt into a bowl.

  2. Add the cucumber to the yogurt.

  3. Mix the yogurt with the garlic mixture.

  4. Whisk until all ingredients are well mixed.

  5. Add some oil.

  6. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

142Calories
1 gProtein
14 gFat
5 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cucumber + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,556 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Cucumber + vinegartop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,734 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).

  3. Cucumber + clovetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,319 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Garlic + clovetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Garlic + vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,115 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Strained yoghurt
Forms the thick, creamy base of the sauce.
Cucumber
Adds moisture and a cool, fresh texture once its water is squeezed out.
Garlic
Provides the sharp, aromatic flavour that defines the sauce.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the rich yoghurt.

The step that matters

Squeeze the cucumber. Cucumber is mostly water. If its liquid is not removed, it leaches into the yoghurt and thins the sauce, making it watery and less creamy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cucumber, garlic, vinegar):

  1. Tarragonfits better
  2. Dillfits better
  3. Corianderfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cucumber, garlic, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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