Tarator or Taratur (Albanian: tarator, Bulgarian: таратор, Macedonian: таратур, Persian: آب دوغ خیار, Serbian: таратор), is a traditional Balkan dish. It is a cold soup (or a liquid salad),[1] popular in the summertime in Albania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Armenia and in Cyprus (where it is known as Ttalattouri). It is made of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, walnut, dill, vegetable oil, and water,[2] and is served chilled or even with ice. Local variations may replace yogurt with water and vinegar, omit nuts or dill, or add bread. The cucumbers may on rare occasions be replaced with lettuce or carrots. Tarator is a type of summer salad.
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Tarator is consumed in Bulgaria similarly to other countries. However, nuts and fruits aren't used. Olive oil is often used in place of vegetable 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.
In Bulgaria,[3] tarator is a popular meze (appetizer) but also served as a side dish along with Shopska salad with most meals. Sunflower and olive oil are more commonly used and walnut is sometimes omitted. Tarator is a popular dish in Bulgaria; a salad version of tarator is known as "Snowwhite salad" (Bulgarian: салата Снежанка- "salata Snezhanka" or "Snejanka" ), also called Dry Tarator. It is made of thick yogurt, without water. It can be served as an appetizer or as a side to the main meal. It is a common refresher during the summer.
In Greece, a similar meal is known as tzatziki. Tzatziki usually contains olive oil, parsley and mint in addition to the ingredients listed above. The word used for the Cypriot variant, ttalattouri, derives from the word tarator via Persian.
A similar dish in Iran is called Ab-Doogh-Khiar which contains salt, basil, leek, mint, black pepper, raisins, and ice. In this style, sometimes dried bread chip is also put in the dish just before serving the dish. Similar to cereal, dried bread chips must remain crisp in some styles.
Tarator is a popular salad and dip in Serbia rather than a soup; it is also known as "tarator salata". It is made with yoghurt, sliced cucumber and diced garlic, and served cold.
In Turkish cuisine, "tarator" is a dip sauce generally eaten with fried fish and squid. The sauce includes white bread crumbs, walnuts, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, herbs and yoghurt. One Turkish version using the name, tahinli tarator, is a similar dish specifically containing tahin or sesame. In the coastal towns of Turkey, fried squid or mussels are almost always served with tarator sauce.
In Macedonia, tarator or taratur is made with garlic, soured milk, cucumber, sunflower oil and salt. It is garnished with dill and served either room temperature or chilled (sometimes by adding ice blocks).
Etymologically, taratuar (-tori) is related to Albanian dhalla and Romanian zară (same meaning) List of Romanian words of possible Dacian origin, while the proper Albanian name for yoghurt is kos.