IN GREEK
τζατζίκι
tzatziki
thick yoghurt dip with cucumber and garlic
IN TURKISH
cacık
cacık
yoghurt with cucumber, often thinned with water
WEAR THE WORD
τζατζίκι in blue ink and cacık in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Turkish
- CATEGORY
- Food
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek τζατζίκι is a thick dip; Turkish cacık is usually thinner and often served as a cold soup.
- NOTES
- A connection with Armenian jajik has been suggested; the relationship between the forms is debated. Nişanyan gives only cognates in Persian and Kurdish with no source, so the Turkic origin cannot be confirmed from this page.
COMMENTS
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SOURCES
- General etymological consensus
- to verify
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘τζατζίκι / cacık’, entry 081, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/081-tzatziki/. Accessed [day month year].