How to Properly Pronounce ‘Tzatziki‘

Tzatziki sauce: it’s a mouthful, both literally and figuratively. Let’s dig into the dip’s origin, ingredients, and, of course, the proper way to say it.

1. What is Tzatziki Sauce?
2. How Do You Pronounce Tzatziki?

What is Tzatziki Sauce?

Tzatziki sauce is a yogurt-based sauce that’s quite common in Greek culture. The main ingredient is Greek yogurt; some additional ingredients include cucumber, olive oil, salt, garlic, and sometimes lemon juice. You can also find herbs, such as dill, thyme, parsley, and mint, in the dip. Although there are tons of versions of tzatziki, many people typically describe the dip as tangy, creamy, and refreshing.

One dish that pairs well with tzatziki sauce is the gyro (pronounced as “year-oh,” by the way), a pita wrap with meat sliced from a vertical rotisserie. It’s usually topped with onions, tomato, and a decent helping of the yogurt sauce. Another food that pairs well with tzatziki sauce is souvlaki, a skewer of marinated and cubed meat pieces. 

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How Do You Pronounce Tzatziki?

There’s more than one way to pronounce the Greek dip. According to Merriam-Webster, some people pronounce it as “dzad-zee-kee,” with the “d” sound at the beginning of the word just barely coming through. Other sources, such as Cambridge, indicate that it’s pronounced as “tsat-see-kee.” This way of saying the word merges the “tz” sound and makes the second “z” sound more like an “s.”  

The Oxford English Dictionary reports that the earliest known use of tzatziki was in the 1960s, when Robin Howe wrote a recipe book called Greek Cooking. Many sources, including Sporked, credit cacik—the Ottoman Empire’s version of the food—as the origin of tzatziki, despite the dip being associated with Greek cuisine. Cacik usually features labneh, a tangy “yogurt cheese” that’s strained for a long time, resulting in a consistency between that of cream cheese and yogurt.