I am a crazy garlic eater. I can actually eat small chunks of garlic soaked in vinegar! I can eat it raw, cooked, roasted, baked, in whole, grated or pressed. Tzatziki is just a civilized way to eat garlic in company. So its one of my favorite dishes here in Cyprus (apart from roasted pepper with garlic). It is a traditional Greek dip made of Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, olive oil, and pepper. I usually also add lime or lemon juice and either parsley or dill. As garnish, you can use other herbs and olives but I prefer to stick with the original ingredients.

The dip is usually in the first round of a meze and stays on the table throughout the whole meal. Its used as a sauce for the grilled meat and as a dip for the fried vegetables. But I just simply like to dip my pita bread in it. It’s a beautiful, refreshing dish so always serve it cold! It has many variations throughout the Middle East, in Turkey its not as thick as in Greece or Cyprus and in many places they use less garlic and mint instead of parsley dill.

This is the way I like it. You will need:

• 2 small cucumbers
• 2 small or one big cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of thick Greek yogurt
• 1 big spoon olive oil
• salt, pepper
• a little parsley and
• a small spoon of lime juice (or lemon juice)

The fact that it basically has only cucumber and garlic doesn’t mean that you have to overdo the garlic! Be careful and add 2 little cloves first and only add more if you still feel its not enough! Grate the cucumber and set aside for a while. Then squeeze out the juice to keep the dip thick. Add the cucumber and the pressed garlic to the yogurt with the olive oil and season it with all the herbs and lime juice. If its too thick, use a little of  the juice of the cucumber. It tastes better if you prepare it the day before you actually use it.