Name: Cucumber and walnut kefir tarator
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 500 ml plain milk kefir (Unsweetened; chill before using.); 300 g cucumbers; 50 g walnut kernels (Plain and unsalted.); 20 g fresh dill; 2 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp olive oil (Sunflower oil also works.); ½ tsp sea salt (Add gradually to taste.); 120 ml cold drinking water (For thinning as needed; you may not need it all.)

By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026

Tarator is the cold cucumber soup of the Balkans, and in Bulgaria it is so tied to hot weather that people say wherever there is summer, there is tarator. Crisp cucumber, chopped walnuts, dill and garlic float in a thin, chilled dairy base finished with a little oil. Milk kefir takes the place of the usual yogurt, bringing a fresh, tart taste and sometimes a faint fizz.

Prep time15 min

Total time45 min

Makes4 servings

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From vinegar and water to a yogurt soup

Bulgarians describe tarator as sour milk thinned with water, with cucumber, oil, salt, dill and crushed garlic. Yogurt only became the common base in the mid-20th century; the older version was simply vinegar and water, and a dairy-free tarator is still made that way. Walnuts are treated as the key ingredient by some cooks and as an optional topping by others. Cooks in Russia make tarator with kefir too, adding coriander or mint, and sometimes half a boiled egg in each plate. Don't confuse it with the Levantine tarator, which is a tahini and garlic sauce.

Tiny cubes and a very cold bowl

Bulgarian recipes use both diced and grated cucumber, but many cooks prefer very small cubes, because grating softens the cucumber and can turn the soup mushy. Small cubes keep their crunch against the smooth kefir. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice is added only when the dairy tastes too mild, so taste the kefir before reaching for either. Above all, tarator is meant to be very cold: the colder it is, the better it tastes.

How Bulgarians serve it

Tarator can open a meal or sit beside a main dish such as moussaka, fried peppers or chicken livers, and it also suits grilled meat or fish with crusty bread. In Bulgaria it goes with rakia or beer rather than wine. Spring versions swap the cucumber for finely shredded lettuce, and winter versions use pickled cucumbers. If someone at the table dislikes garlic, leave it out and pass it separately. In Taiwan, traditional markets are the best place to look for fresh dill, and about 1 tablespoon of dried dill can replace the 20 g of fresh when there is none.