Origin of cacık (tzatziki) :)?

Question

Is cacık (tzatziki) Greek or Turkish?

A friend of mine said that it is Greek but i know cacık from my mum. she makes it quite often
what do u think?

Answer 1

From referrences of ancient authors, among which Artistofanis, Athinaeos and others, we do know that dishes like stuffed vegetables (like courgettes) and vine leafs with smashed wheat grains (rice came to Europe later) were ancient greek. We also know that ancient Atheneans made yogurt (as easily as they made cheese) and mixed it with spices and garlic or onion.
The Bysantines inherited all these recipes and improved them, that is, made them more complicated, while Turks went on, keeping the traditional recipes and inventing new variations.
Let's not forget that sweets covered with honey (sugar to make syrop with was not easy to find) were very popular in Bysantine times, known with the term "plakountia"...
Therefore, a lot of recipes which are common in Turkey and in Greece are of ancient greek origin, though the turkish terms predominated because of the formal language of the Ottoman Empire...
So, yes, dolma, yaprak, lukum (a), baklava, and cacik are of ancient greek origin, at least in their simplier version, adopted by the bysantines, improved by the Turks, and returned to Greece with the refugees in 1922...
We must keep in mind that apart from the written evidence, cultural traditions, like cuisine, just pass from former civilisations to newer ones, as people in the past used to adopt what they liked without discretions...

P.S. The ancient greek word for yogurt is ygeiartos which means "healthy food".....

Answer 2

Turkish Tzatziki

Answer 3

I am sorry but the origin of the words seem wrong. I am sending each word's origin one by one etymologically, not based on believes.

If you search for the word "Tzatziki and etymology" together, you can find the websites which shows the origin of the words as Turkish. Tzatziki originates from the Turkish word "cacik". Here are some of the websites:
http://end.translatum.gr/wiki/tzatziki
http://www.allwords.com/word-tzatziki.html
http://www.reachinformation.com/define/tzatziki.aspx


Yoghurt is no doubt Turkish. I even can recognize its root and suffix (yog+urt) which means "concentrated". We have words like "yogun", "yogusmak", "yogurmak" etc, all coming from the same root.

Even though you did not ask, baklava is also Turkish. People who commented below made crazy claims again.

Baklava :Turkish. Originated from proto-Turkic word Baklagu (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/baklava) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava#cite_note-Buell-6)

Same for "dolma". I again can recognize its roots and suffix: dol+ma meaning "to get stuffed". Just like the word "yoghurt", we have words with the same root but different suffixes like dolum, dolu, dolama, dolmush etc.
http://www.reachinformation.com/define/tzatziki.aspx
http://dolmas.askdefine.com/
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/dolma


I am really annoyed when people cannot accept the origins of Turkish words just because of their believe, prejudice or sick racist ideas or political aims. Look, Greeks could have invented awesome stuff, I appreciate it. But if a word is etymologically Turkish and is used in countries which were or have been ruled by Turkic nations, then these stuff belong to Turks. So clear... 2+2=4. Just accept it as as scientific fact. The origin of the words is not an ideology. You can use any Turkish food, make it better, great. But accredit the inventors. This is the only ethical way. Do NOT steal, do NOT lie! Very simple rule: be HONEST.

Answer 4

Actually it is both! The food you are describing has different versions through out the world! It is actually very common to add cucumber into yogurt and make a dessert.
Cacik is the Turkish version and Tzatsiki is the Greek version of the same idea!
Both use as a base the yogurt but the Greek Tzatziki is thicker and stronger. In tzatziki we also use more olive oil and it is great for dishes with pita such as Souvlaki.
The Turkish version “cacik” is more diluted (thinner) than Tzatziki and it is excellent for accompanying lamb meet!(which makes sence for the nomadic way of life of central Asia!
There is also a Bulgarian similar dish which is called "dry tarator"r "Snezhanka" salad which means "Snow White salad", and is served as an appetizer.
There is also a version that is found in Iraq and it is know as jajeek.(which is closer to the Greek word!)
A variation in the Caucasus Mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of yogurt, and it is used a refreshing summer drink. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs and ham to create a variation of a soup!!! (interesting!!)
A similar dish is made in Iran called mast-o-khiar, literally meaning yogurt with cucumber. It is made using a thicker yogurt, which is mixed with sliced cucumber, garlic, and mint (sometimes chopped nuts are also added).
From the Greek/Americans the Greek Tzatziki became famous in US but the American Greek version often use sour crème instead of Yoghurt!!!
I think that there is also a similar dish in India!!
As for other common dishes some are of Greek origin, some are of Turkish origin, and others are simply eastern Mediterranean!
Eduardo was correct to mention that we do have references about traditional Greek dishes from ancient authors! (Artistofanis, Athinaeos, “Deipnosofistes” and others,) We know that traditionally Greek are dishes which includ stuffed vegetables and we do know that the Greeks were using vine leafs with smashed wheat grains (correct that rise was introduced later)We also know that ancient Atheneans made yogurt and mixed it with spices and garlic or onion (something like Tzatrziki).
Such dishes can be found around all the Eastern Mediterranean. Greeks call them Gemista(which means “stuffed”) and the Turks call them “Dolma”. The same type of food can be found in Syria, Armenia, Romania(were they are called “sarmale în foi de viţă”, Iraq (were the Chaldo-Assyrians of Iraq call it “prakheh” which is the Aramaic term for stuffed grape leaves.)
As I said before in Greece there are several dishes called “Gemista”. One of them was the one with stuffed vine leaves. They did not use rise at that time! The same dish was introduced by the Greeks to the Ottomans and it was involved by the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans introduce a new version with chopped lamb meet. It was reintroduced in Greece with the Greeks of Constantinople and Asia Minor and today in Greece we also use a Greek world “Ntolmadakia” which is from the Turkish “Dolma” originally from the Greek “Gemista ampellofula” as it is the proper Greek name!
As for “Baklava” it is again a estern meditterenean desert!
In Greece we had a Greek version which was first mentioned in a Greek text
Called “Deipnosophistae “written by Athenaeus in the early 2nd century AD.
Athenaeus describes a dessert which is called “gastris”,” kopte”, “kopton”, or “koptoplakous”, and it contained a filling of nuts and honey, very similar to modern “Baklava”
But there was a Turkish version that was involved in central Asia and it was called Baklava! ("baklava" may come from the Mongolian root baγla- 'to tie, wrap up, pile up' composed with the Turkic verbal ending -v.)
The Turks here are masters!!! The Turkish Baklava is the best probably in the world!! Although Greek baklava is excellent the Turks are making it like a masterpiece!
And the original Greek is now not in use and the Turkish recipe is followed!
So as you can see an idea for a dish can be invented simultaneously in every part of the world. At the same time in different areas similar dishes were involved from the same materials!
Everyone gave to the others and everyone took from the others!

Answer 5

There is a word in chemistry called OSMOSIS(The word is Greek also).Osmosis also takes place in neighboring languages
That happened in some little degree during our coexistence
I could negotiate the word tzatziki but I would not negotiate words like Democracy and ,Philosophy,which I am sure are also used in the Turkish language

Answer 6

Dear Missy,
Please check it out! We have so many common words that both Turkish and Greek use!! Why don't foods too? (cacik=tzatziki= Greek tzantzikos as tourists say!!!!)
http://yunus.hacettepe.edu.tr/~sadi/bilgi/turkce-yunanca.html

Answer 7

Good Evening Yagmur,

I was heard, Cacik comes from Ottoman Time,
And then, you know, we lived together with Greek Public nearly 300 - 400 Years.

So, we are effecting each other.

However , I was found that site ,
http://yunus.hacettepe.edu.tr/~sadi/bilgi/turkce-yunanca.html

There are lots of words which is using together...

Regards

Answer 8

I believe that it is a Turkish dish that was brought to Greece during the Ottoman period.

The Greek word "tzatziki" actually derices from the Turkish word "cacik".

Answer 9

How do the Greeks explain the yoghurt? No, I'm not trying to make sarcasm. Really, do they say they invented the yoghurt? So they must be coming from Asian nomads, too. (Now, THIS is sarcasm.)

I'm asking because they say baklava is theirs, that it is derived from some kind of Anatolian dessert. Anybody who has seen the flatbrad (yufka) of yoruks (nomadic Turks) would see how baklava must be invented, but alas... Greeks arenot to be convinced.

Edit: I appreciate the Greeks' effort to Greekize everything. I guess they'll know better than the ethymologist, Sevan Nişanyan, who says the word yogurt comes from the ancient Turkish word, yugrut, decomposed milk. "Healthy food". LOL!

Unfortunately, baklava's origin is unspecified, but it surely must be a palace dessert made with yufka. That makes it an Ottoman dish, people, because Ottomans must be more than just nomadic Turkish. Stop trying to own up everything, Greek friends! Do I say all olive oil dishes are Turkish? No. Can you guess why? Because I'm smarter than that!

Thanks, guys for giving me all those thumbs-downs. I don't have to subscribe to anybody else's views, just for the sake of friendship and good feelings, you know. Try to be little more scientific!

Answer 10

Totally agree with Hannibal. Hele taze sarimsakla uffff