Tarator is a cold soup (or a liquid salad), popular in the summertime in Bulgaria. It is made of yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, walnuts, dill, vegetable oil, and water. It is best served chilled or even with ice. Local variations may replace yoghurt with water and vinegar, omit nuts or dill, or add bread. The cucumbers may on very rare occasions be replaced with lettuce or carrots. The salad version of tarator is known in Bulgaria as "dry tarator" or "Snezhanka" salad (Mlechna Salad), named after the fairy tale character (Snow White). It is made of thick yoghurt and no water. It can be served as an appetizer or as a side to the main meal.

Recipe:

To prepare tarator you need 1 fresh cucumber or 4-5 pickles, 1/2 kilogram of yoghurt, 1-2 cloves of garlic, several walnuts, some dill, salt, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil of your choice (sunflower oil is typically used), and water.

Preparation: Grate or finely chop the cucumber(s) and place in a large bowl. Mash the garlic with salt and add to the cucumber. Add ground walnuts and finely chopped fresh dill. Pour in the yoghurt. Then gradually add water - the thickness is down to taste. Finally, add the vegetable oil. To prepare the salad version of tarator, follow the same instructions but do not add water. For thick consistency, the yoghurt can be strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey (strained yogurt). As a quick alternative, one can add several tablespoons of sour cream to regular yogurt.

Variations:

In Greece, a similar meal is known as tzatziki. Tzatziki usually contains olive oil, parceley and/or mint in addition to the ingredients listed above. The Turkish variation of tarator, cacık, is similar to the salad version. It has a rich consistency and is served as a meze. On the south coast of Turkey, it is served with fried squid and includes yoghurt, lemon, walnut, olive oil, bread and garlic. In Iran, a variation on tarator exists under the name Maast-O-Khiar. This contains chopped onions as opposed to garlic and may also contain black pepper and raisins. Tarator is also consumed in Albania in almost the same manner it is consumed in other countries. However, water, nuts, fruits and dill aren't used. Vegetable oil is often substituted with olive oil. In a different variation, this dish is enriched with a plain omelet, cut into little pieces and added to the mixture. Due to the richness the eggs add, this variation of Tarator may be consumed as a main course.

Special Thanks to Wikipedia