Tsatsiki is a Greek dip or side dish made from thick strained yoghurt mixed with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and herbs — usually dill or mint — seasoned with salt and a squeeze of lemon. Cool, creamy, and garlicky, it is served with grilled meats, gyros, fried vegetables, or simply with bread as part of a meze spread. The cucumber must be salted and squeezed dry first, or the dip turns watery; full-fat Greek yoghurt gives the proper luxurious texture. Nutritionally it is a light, protein-rich accompaniment. Variations appear across the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East — Turkish cacık, Bulgarian tarator — but the Greek version, bold with garlic and olive oil, is the reference point.