You'll get a richer thicker final product if you strain the yogurt first (just dump it into a very fine strainer over a bowl and let it sit for a couple of hours - or you can use cheesecloth). Alternately you can purchase greek style yogurt. Instead of scallions I've seen finely chopped garlic added or onions in some recipes too.

Can you tell I love Tzatziki?!

Thanks for the recipe. I've always wanted to make this, but have never found a definitive and/or authentic recipe. The other Greek dish I really want to make is Avgolemono Soup.

The way I make it, which is closer to the tsatziki I've had in Greece, is with grated cucumber (which are squeezed to get rid of excess liquid), grated garlic and strained (or Greek) yoghurt, plus salt and pepper. It's more "dippy" than the above recipe, and just like it, it goes with everything. I love it and make it all the time in summer.

Always glad to be of limited help: "Tzatziki" is a Greek rendering of the Turkish word "cacik" (pronounced something like "JAH-jik") which is a cold yogurt/cucumber soup. Cacik is more liquid than the tzatziki you'll get in most Greek restaurant, but that's where the word and the dish originally come from (the Greek word for "cucumber" is "angouri.")

A similar dish to cacik is the raita they serve in most Indian restaurants by me (SW Connecticut) which tends to be fairly soupy and is based on yogurt, cucumber and usually (in my neck of the woods) mint. I suspect the dishes' cooling effect was lost on neither the Indians nor the Turks.

It wouldn't surprise me if cacik is the child of raita or vice versa -- thanks to history, there's a lot of overlap in food and food language of the Near East, Middle East and Indian subcontinent -- two examples that pop into my head are "kofte" -- in Greek meatballs are "keftedes;" asking for a "kofte kebab" in a Middle Eastern or tandoori place will get you something similar -- and "keema" which means "ground meat" (typically lamb.) I think "keema" is Persian. "Kebab" is another one.

To Beth: I don't know if there really is a definitive or authentic recipe for these sorts of things, as Greece's communities have a history of relative isolation -- the mountains and islands made getting around tough. Traditional cooks worked with what they had -- thus one recipe might have mint added, another dill, a third onions, oregano or olive oil. I've also seen vinegar used in place of lemon juice. About the only constants are the cucumber (which is often seeded and cut into short strips or grated as Anja said instead of sliced) and yogurt (I've usually seen it strained ala Joanne). The good news is that since there isn't a definitive recipe you can experiment and find a combination that you like without feeling that you aren't being "authentic" enough -- it's a versatile dish that can be used as a soup, dip, sauce for meats or salad.

Hello everyone - as a traditional greek cook (traditional in the scence of Samian island cooking) my purist Grandmother's recipe did not have sugar - don't use it as it will change the tang of the greek style yogurt and you will lose the meaning of the recipe. Always use garlic and lemon juice. Salt and pepper are not needed. Eat it the day of making and the garlic will be mild - eat it the next day and the garlic is amazing and strong. Great history lesson from Nicholas. Tzatziki is the best accompanyment to freshly cooked lamb or beef, dolmathes or with crusty bread.

The relationship between raita and tzatziki isn't as confused or confusing as one might suspect. The combination of cucumber (or other curcurbit) and yoghurt is common in cuisines from the Mediterranean, across the Middle East, to India.

However, the use of cucumber is more easily tracked. Cultivation and culinary use of the cucumber began around 3000 years ago in the foothills of the Himalayas. The area is proximate to present day India. It spread from there to Egypt as a result of trade and from Egypt to both Greek and Roman cultures where it became highly favored.

The combination of yoghurt and cucumber spread from the Himalayas as cultivation of the cucumber spread and became established in other areas.