In honor of the last day of Summer, today we feature this cold soup recipe from the cookbook, “Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria“. Tarrator is a traditional Balkan dish served as a starter or side in a bowl or even a glass. If you like yogurt you will love this soup.

It is served mostly during the hotter months and is a very pleasant way to cool down after a long work day in the heat. Summers in Bulgaria can stay above the 100F mark for weeks at a time. And most Bulgarian homes do not have air conditioning.

If you leave out the water of this recipe, you get a salad called “snow white” salad or salata snezjanka.

Ingredients

16 oz plain yogurt
16 oz cold water
1 peeled and finely chopped or shredded cucumber
2 cloves pressed garlic
3 tbsp vegetable, olive or sunflower seed oil
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbsp freshly chopped dill
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation

In a large bowl mix yogurt and water until smooth. Combine all other ingredients in separate bowl so that the salt absorbs into the cucumbers. Then add mixture to yogurt water, stir well. Serve. If preferred you can chill in refrigerator before serving or just add a few cubes of ice. Makes 6-8 servings.

Copyright 2016 Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria, Expanded 2nd Ed. (Black and White) Purchase your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Traditions-Bulgaria-Expanded-Second/dp/1537125346/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1474047082&sr=1-1&keywords=Cooking+Traditions+of+Bulgaria%2C+Second+Edition+black+and+white