Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Eastern European, Armenian, and Georgian cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including those of Southeast Europe (Balkans), Central Europe, and Western Europe. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Mesopotamian cuisine, Greek cuisine, Levantine cuisine, Egyptian cuisine, Balkan cuisine, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia, creating a vast array of specialities.
Tzatziki, cacık, or tarator is a dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. It is served as a cold appetizer (mezze), a side dish, and as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros sandwiches and other foods.
Yogurt also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt, is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as yogurt cultures. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor. Cow's milk is the milk most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks are also used to produce yogurt. The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results.
Cucumber soup is a traditional Polish and Lithuanian soup (Polish:. It is made from sour, salted cucumbers and potato. Occasionally rice is substituted for the potatoes.
Raita is a side dish in Indian cuisine made of dahi together with raw or cooked vegetables, more seldom fruit, or in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan.
Bulgarian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of Southeast Europe. It shares characteristics with other Balkan cuisines. Bulgarian cooking traditions are diverse because of geographical factors such as climatic conditions suitable for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Aside from the vast variety of local Bulgarian dishes.
Ayran, doogh, dhallë, or tan is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage, popular across Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeastern Europe and Eastern Europe. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are carbonated.
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad al-Sham, which covers a large area of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is found in the modern states of Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, as well as in northern Iraq and parts of southern Turkey near Adana, Gaziantep, and Antakya. Conversely, some of the dishes listed below may have early origins in neighboring regions, but have long since become traditions in the Levant.
Israeli salad is a chopped salad of finely diced tomato, onion, cucumber, and bell or chili peppers. It has been described as the "most well-known national dish of Israel", and is a standard accompaniment to most Israeli meals. Salads following essentially the same recipe, with different names, are widespread and popular throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.
Pachadi refers to a traditional South Indian fresh pickle served as a side dish. Broadly translated, it refers to food which has been pounded. In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, pachadi is a side dish curry similar to the North Indian raita, and is made with vegetable, yoghurt, coconut, ginger and curry leaves and seasoned with mustard. Pachadi generally is a hot or mildly spiced coconut, green chillies, red chillies and yogurt-based dish made with seasonal vegetables or fruits.
Bhojpuri cuisine is a style of food preparation common amongst the Bhojpuri people of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Bhojpuri foods are mostly mild and are less hot in term of spices used, but could be hotter and spicier according to individual preference. The food is tailor-made for Bhojpuri lifestyle in which the rural folk expend many calories in the fields. Bhojpuri people take pride in celebrating various festivals and religious rites with food; as a result, their food resembles the delicacies offered to deities.
Afghan cuisine is mainly influenced by Persian, Mongolian and Indian cuisines, due to Afghanistan's close proximity and central location over the various Asian trade routes. The cuisine is mainly based on Afghanistan's main crops, such as wheat, maize, barley, and rice. Accompanying these staple grains are native fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, whey, pomegranates, grapes, and sweet melons. Most of the people's diet revolve around rice-based dishes, while naan bread is consumed with most meals. Tea is generally consumed daily in large quantities, and is a major part of hospitality. The culinary specialties reflect the nation's ethnic and geographic diversity. The national dish of Afghanistan is Kabuli Pulao, a rice dish.
The Kosovan cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of the Balkans and consists of traditional dishes by ethnic groups native to Kosovo. Due to historical and ethnic connections with Albania, it has been significantly influenced by Albanian cuisine and has adopted elements of other Balkan countries.
Dahi chutney is strained dahi that is mixed into a chutney of mint and onions, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in South India and is a side dish along with Mirchi ka salan for the popular Hyderabadi biryani.
Kachumber, or cachumber, is a salad dish in Indian cuisine consisting of fresh chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lemon juice, and sometimes, chili peppers. It is similar to many other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern salads consisting of the same ingredients.
Haydari is a type of yogurt dish similar to a thick cacık, made from certain herbs and spices, combined with garlic and yogurt. It differs from cacık in that the recipe contains no cucumber and calls for strained yogurt or labne. It is served purely as a meze, being more pungently appetizing - by virtue of being saltier, more acidic and of a thicker consistency - than cacık.
Dahibara Aludam ,Odia: [d̪ɔhibɔɾa aɭud̪ɔm], is a variant of Dahi vada and originated from Cuttack of the state Odisha. It is a type of chaat (snack) from Cuttack and is popular throughout India. The dish is prepared by soaking vadas in light dahi (yogurt) water. Then adding AluDum and ghuguni to it.
