Bulgarian · Soup
Cool yogurt, cucumber, dill and walnuts for hot-weather lunches.
Photo by Gillgaramond · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP for web display.
Tarator is Bulgaria’s cooling answer to summer heat: yogurt thinned to a spoonable broth, sharpened with garlic and packed with cucumber, dill and walnuts. It should be fluid and refreshing rather than as thick as a dip.
Technique notes
Recipe status
A named independent cook or chef has published a prepared version of this dish, and that verification is credited below. It verifies their version—not Gastromica’s exact quantities, timing or method. Measured search evidence, exact-recipe testing and final JB approval remain separate gates.
How the new system works →Evidence behind this edition
Reviewed August 2, 2026. Research sources inform this edition. Any external cook verification is separately named, linked and limited to the independently prepared version described in that source.
A cold Bulgarian soup of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, water/oil and often walnuts, served fluid rather than dip-thick.
Declared allergens: milk, tree nuts (walnuts)
Keep at 40°F/4°C or below; refrigerate within 2 hours, use within 3–4 days, and do not leave dairy soup at room temperature for service beyond 2 hours.
Ingredient labels and cross-contact must be checked for the actual brands used; USDA temperatures are safety floors, not claims that the current recipe was tested.
Emily Weinberger and Food Network Kitchen is credited with preparing and publishing an independent version of this dish in Tarator for Food Network.
What this supports: dish identity, method, texture/doneness, serving result.
Verifies an independently prepared version of the dish, not Gastromica’s exact recipe. The test-kitchen version uses Greek yogurt, lemon, diced English cucumber and an ice-cube service that may differ from Gastromica’s ratios and presentation.
Bulgarian kitchen
Bulgarian tarator is a refreshing cold yogurt soup with cucumber, dill, garlic, walnuts and olive oil, ready in 25 minutes.
Toss cucumber with ¼ teaspoon salt and let it stand for 10 minutes; keep the liquid it releases.
Whisk yogurt until smooth, then slowly whisk in cold water, garlic, olive oil, remaining salt and lemon.
Stir in cucumber with its liquid, three-quarters of the walnuts and most of the dill.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Adjust salt and acidity, then garnish with walnuts, dill, pepper and optional ice.
Review ingredient labels for allergens and cross-contact. Follow the recipe’s handling notes, refrigerate perishable food promptly, and use an instant-read thermometer where a safe internal temperature is specified.
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Research EditionGood to know
Tarator is Bulgaria’s cooling answer to summer heat: yogurt thinned to a spoonable broth, sharpened with garlic and packed with cucumber, dill and walnuts. It should be fluid and refreshing rather than as thick as a dip.
Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days; stir well before serving because the yogurt may settle.
Serve very cold with bread, grilled vegetables or a simple tomato salad.
