Super tasty and extremely refreshing, this cold cucumber soup is the perfect dish to cool you down during those hot summer days.
Tarator is a traditional Bulgarian summer soup, which can be found on the menu of many restaurants and diners. It’s actually a chilled soup, though some people prefer to call it a liquid salad, which really does work well on the pallet. The soup is very easy to prepare and it can be on the table within minutes…
Personally I was avoiding this dish for quite some time now, the idea of a yogurt soup simply didn’t appeal to me very much, but then came that moment when visiting friends and I was cornered with no escape, the dish sat before me on the table coaxing me to try and surrounded by expectant faces waiting to see my reaction to eating it. To everyone’s joy, there was no screwed up face just wide eyes and that feeling of hmmm… more… now I’ve tried it, there is just no going back… it is definitely staying on the regular “go to” menu in our household.
One thing to have in mind, the longer you leave it in the fridge, the more intense the flavours…
The recipe below is for quite a large portion but we usually keep it in the fridge for up to a week, as the intensifying of the flavours works for us rather well, and it’s wonderful to be able to just open the fridge and grab a bowlful when you want a snack or a starter. If you think it’s going to make way too much for you or you just want to try and see if it’s for you simply halve the ingredients and prepare a smaller serving.
Ingredients:
- 800ml Greek yogurt
- 400ml filtered chilled water
- 4 large garlic cloves; minced
- 1kg cucumbers
- 1 bunch of fresh dill; finely chopped
- 2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp black pepper (optional)
- Ice cubes – for serving (optional)
Method:
Wash the cucumbers (do not peel) then grate half of them; the remaining half chop into cubes. Place them in a large bowl and add the salt – let them rest like this for at least 5 minutes so they can start to absorb some of the salt.
In the meantime, mince the garlic and finely chop the dill and add to the cucumber mix.
Add the yogurt and water to your cucumbers, season with fresh cracked pepper and mix well.
Serve well chilled or even better over some ice and enjoy the cool sensation.
See, told you it was easy, now go and enjoy!
Bulgarian here. I would drop the pepper and add a generous 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Also, it’s nice to put a tsp of ground walnuts in your bowl. Frankly, I don’t go through the trouble of putting cucumbers and salt to soak. I also peel and finely chop the cucumber. Then I just mix everything together.
Thank you for the tips. I will make it your way next time round 🙂
I love cucumber, but I’ve never tried it in a soup like this before! I may have to give it a try soon though, especially as I’ve been struggling to find anything I want to eat in this heat!
Louise x
This sounds sounds really interesting - I bet it’s really nice and refreshing in the sunshine we have been having lately.
I didn’t think I would like it the first time it was presented to me but oh boy it was perfect for a summers afternoon and would love to make some now
I’ve never tried cucumber soup before, but it has similar ingredients to tzatziki, so I should like it! 🙂
I’ve always associated with soups with cold, miserable weather but this sounds perfect for a summers day! I always get really bored just having cucumber in salads or sandwiches so this would make a nice change.
I have never thought about cucumber as a flavour for soup, but in this weather it would be perfect and so so welcome!
I am a big fan of all things cucumber .. from salads, to cuisines but never tried a chilled cucumber soup before. It sure looks very good and I cant wait to be able to give it a try.
ive got quite a bit of cucumber to use up and now know what I’m going to make with it!
Wow that is something I’ve never heard of. I don’t think it’s my kind of thing though I’m not big on soups looks amazing though x
I love cold soup in the summer. Probably because when I was growing up, my mom made cucumber soup similar to this, and it brings back such great memories. We had a huge garden that was overflowing with summer produce and cold soup was a wonderful way to use them up. Can’t wait to give your version a try!
I can honestly say I have never heard of a soup quite like this, but I better it is gorgeous on these hot days we are having! Super simple too x
I’ve never tried anything like this before but it looks delicious - thanks for sharing! x
A yoghurt soup sounds rather odd, definitely not two things you usually associate, I’m glad you eventually managed to try it and liked it though x
Ohh now this sounds like a really interesting dish, I wouldn’t have thought of making a chilled soup but yes that is just the thing right now.
I love soup, but soup in summer time is not very great. This sounds like the perfect soup for summer time. I love cucumbers. This looks easy to make. Will be trying it soon!
I love this kind of dish. I remember when I first tried some, it was round a friend’s parents house. I was really dubious, but having tried it, it was so nice. I would describe it as cool, tasty and refreshing. Perfect for this hot hot weather.
I would never ever think to make this but right now in this heat it looks just the ticket!