[Food Series] Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup (Cacık)

This is, hands down, my favorite Turkish soup and a staple in our house, especially in the summer months. Since I have been asked by so many friends for the recipe, I figured you guys might enjoy it too! It takes less than 15 minutes to make, not to mention it's really low cal and nutritious! My two year old devours this by the gallon. Win, Win, Win!

Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup (Cacık)

Ingredients:
6 Cups of Plain Yogurt
2 Cloves of Garlic
4 Persian Cucumbers
1 Cup of Water

Into a large bowl, grate the peeled cucumbers and use a zester or microplane to add the garlic. Dump the yogurt and water in and blend until it is smooth. I usually use a fork because it easily breaks up all of the lumps, but doesn't aerate the yogurt. Chill and serve! That's it, literally!

In our house, we usually prefer it on the thicker side, but feel free to add more water, in very small increments, to get it to the consistency that works for you. This dish is also delicious with finely chopped mint or dill, a drizzle of olive oil or served as a side dish with any yummy protein!

Notes on a Raising a Multi-Cultural Kid

As most of you know, I am from New Orleans. My ancestors are a mixed bag, coming as far away as Spain, France and the Canary Islands and as close to home as the Chitimacha Indian Tribe, so I have always proudly referred to myself as a mutt. My husband is from Istanbul, Turkey and with his ancestry comprised of 4 diametrically, politically opposed nations it's a lesson in compassion that his lineage even exists at all!

Last summer's family trip to Turkey

My husband and I embrace our cultural differences. They are distinct and beautiful and we try to impart the variety of customs and traditions to our little peanut while also creating new ones.

Living in Diversity

We are blessed to live in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world! Los Angeles has a very large and active Turkish community and we have built quite a beautiful network of friends in the almost two decades we have lived here who have all jumped right in to nurture and involve themselves in the raising of our baby girl. In addition, we have numerous friends who are also raising children in a multi-cultural family from Chinese to Mexican, Filipino and Indian, an essential example to our kids of the ever-changing landscape of what Family looks like.

Friends for Life!

Multi-Cultural Cuisine

The kitchen is one place where the diversity of our cultures is highlighted in our house! In any given week, we are serving up the United Nations of food, from red beans and rice to mücver. I have embraced Turkish cuisine and have an arsenal of traditional recipes mastered, while I also have fun experimenting with my own take on the various Turkish flavor profiles.

Speaking in Tongues

A priority for us from the very beginning was ensuring our little peanut would have the ability to speak to her Turkish relatives in their native tongue, giving her the ability to absorb her Turkish roots. My husband only speaks to the baby in Turkish and I try with only about 40% success to speak to her in Turkish, but we are rapidly discovering that as her language progresses, my tarzanian Turkish is not enough to ensure her fluency in the language. Rosetta Stone is a great tool, but I'll be signing up for Turkish language classes this summer, for sure!

In the end, I hope that my daughter's experience of being raised in a Multi-Cultural family will allow her to be a conscious, global citizen who has an empathy, understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the world she lives in, integrating herself into the large world tapestry of cultures and traditions.