How to Make Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Start with one English cucumber or two small Persian cucumbers. Peel the skin off completely. Akis grates the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater so you get long shreds rather than a watery pulp. The bigger shred holds the cucumber's crunch and gives the finished tzatziki real texture instead of mush.

Grate the whole cucumber into a glass bowl. If your cucumber has a seedy core, stop before you hit it - the seeds give off extra water that you do not want in the sauce.

Sprinkle a generous pinch of kosher salt over the grated cucumber and add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Toss it together with your fingers and set it aside for at least 10 minutes.

The salt draws the water out of the cucumber - this is the single most important step in a good tzatziki. Skip it and the sauce will turn watery within an hour. The white wine vinegar is Akis's signature: it seasons the cucumber while it drains and is the same vinegar that goes into the yogurt later.

While the cucumber drains, pulverize one third of a peeled garlic clove with three tablespoons of Greek extra virgin olive oil in a small blender or mini chopper. Akis is firm on this point: a third of a clove, not a whole one. Tzatziki should taste of yogurt and cucumber, not raw garlic.

Blending the garlic into the oil breaks it down completely so there are no harsh garlic chunks in the finished sauce - just a smooth, savory base. Run the blender until the garlic disappears into the oil.

Spoon two cups of cold Greek strained yogurt into a mixing bowl. Akis is clear that Greek strained yogurt is non-negotiable - regular yogurt is too thin and will leak liquid as it sits. Fage 5% is the gold standard for this recipe.

Pour the garlic-olive oil mixture over the yogurt. Add another half tablespoon of white wine vinegar (the second hit), plus salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk until smooth and creamy. This is your base sauce - it should already taste savory and bright before the cucumber goes in.

Scoop the drained cucumber into a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of cheesecloth. Gather the corners and wring it hard with both hands over a bowl. Keep going until barely a drop comes out.

You will be shocked how much liquid an English cucumber holds. Akis says it plainly: any liquid you leave in the cucumber will end up in the sauce and ruin the thick, creamy texture you are after. Squeeze, twist, and squeeze again. The cucumber should come out as a dry, fluffy little mound.

Drop the squeezed cucumber into the yogurt base and stir gently with a spoon. Finely chop a small handful of fresh dill - about two tablespoons - and fold it in. Dill is the herb that makes a tzatziki taste Greek and not just like a generic yogurt dip. Do not skip it or swap it for mint.

Taste and adjust: if it tastes flat, add another pinch of salt. If you want more brightness, another splash of white wine vinegar. The sauce should taste cool, garlicky in the background, herbal, and tangy.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors meld as the yogurt rests cold and the texture firms up.

Spoon the tzatziki into a wide shallow bowl, swoosh the top with the back of a spoon, drizzle a little more Greek olive oil over it, and scatter a few dill fronds on top. Serve with warm pita, grilled meat, or roasted vegetables. It keeps three to four days in a sealed container in the fridge.