If you have travelled to Greece or Turkey - or enjoyed their cuisine in a restaurant - you will have likely encountered the creamy, garlicky, dill delight of tzatziki aka cacik. Popular all over the Eastern Mediterranean, the Lebanese version is called khyar bi laban, this dish can be enjoyed with bread or as an accompaniment to grilled meats and vegetables.
Wherever you may have travelled and however you prefer to pronounce its name, enjoy these recipes below.
The Turkish version, cacik, often has a hint of dried mint...
As part of a nutritionally rich, whole health lifestyle, at The Whole Health Practice we advocate enjoying herbs (and spices) as a regular part of one’s diet. While some herbs (and their polyphenols) have shown positive results for specific health outcomes, enjoy a variety of herbs that work in synergy to promote maximum health. And taste! That's one reason why the Mediterranean diet is so effective at promoting long-term health.
Be sure to use a good quality strained, Greek or Turkish, yogurt. Not a thinner, regular yogurt with added sugar.
Allow the creamy, tangy richness of tzatziki to transport you to the warmth of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Stay Herby,
Alastair
If you would like to explore more recipes from the Eastern Mediterranean, check out Ripe Figs by Yasmin Khan...
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Related Studies
Mackonochie M, Rodriguez-Mateos A, Mills S, Rolfe V. A Scoping Review of the Clinical Evidence for the Health Benefits of Culinary Doses of Herbs and Spices for the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome. Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4867. doi: 10.3390/nu15234867. PMID: 38068725; PMCID: PMC10708057.
Thamkaew G, Sjöholm I, Galindo FG. A review of drying methods for improving the quality of dried herbs. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021;61(11):1763-1786. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1765309. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID: 32423234.
Jiang TA. Health Benefits of Culinary Herbs and Spices. J AOAC Int. 2019 Mar 1;102(2):395-411. doi: 10.5740/jaoacint.18-0418. Epub 2019 Jan 16. PMID: 30651162.
Vázquez-Fresno R, Rosana ARR, Sajed T, Onookome-Okome T, Wishart NA, Wishart DS. Herbs and Spices- Biomarkers of Intake Based on Human Intervention Studies - A Systematic Review. Genes Nutr. 2019 May 22;14:18. doi: 10.1186/s12263-019-0636-8. PMID: 31143299; PMCID: PMC6532192.