Havuç tarator

Name: Havuç tarator
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: 500 g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks; 300 g full-fat Turkish-style or Greek yogurt; 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt; 60 g walnuts, finely chopped or pounded; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve; 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 0.75 tsp fine salt; 0.5 tsp dried mint or 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp sweet paprika or sumac, to garnish

Turkish carrot and yogurt mezze with garlic and walnut: a cool, vivid mezze dish

Origin: Turkey

From the journey of Carrot.

Tarator is one of the great sauce-and-dip traditions of the eastern Mediterranean, a family of preparations based on yogurt, tahini, or bread combined with garlic, nuts, and acid, served as part of the meze spread that characterises Ottoman and Turkish table culture. Havuç tarator (carrot tarator) is among the most beloved cold mezze dishes in the Turkish repertoire, appearing on virtually every meze table in Istanbul, Izmir, and throughout Anatolia. The carrot's sweetness is played against the sharpness of garlic, the sourness of good yogurt, and the richness of walnut, a combination that also characterises dozens of other dishes in the same tradition. Turkey sits at the historical crossroads through which the carrot first moved westward from Central Asia into the Arab world and then Europe, and the country's cuisine reflects centuries of sophisticated carrot cookery. The Turkish mezze tradition (a collection of small, artfully prepared dishes served before the main course) is one of the most developed appetiser cultures in the world, and cold vegetable preparations like this one are at its heart. Havuç tarator is vivid orange, cool, creamy, garlicky, and deeply satisfying: everything a great mezze should be.

Ingredients

Carrot

500 g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

Dairy

300 g full-fat Turkish-style or Greek yogurt

Aromatics

2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt

Nut

60 g walnuts, finely chopped or pounded

Fat

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

Acid

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Seasoning

0.75 tsp fine salt

Herb

0.5 tsp dried mint or 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

Garnish

0.5 tsp sweet paprika or sumac, to garnish

Method

Cook the carrots: place in salted boiling water and cook for 12–15 minutes until fully tender. Drain and allow to steam dry for a few minutes.
Mash or process the carrots until smooth: a food processor gives a very smooth result; a potato ricer or fork produces a more textured, rustic mash. Both are authentic.
While the carrots are still warm, stir in the olive oil. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.
Once cool, fold in the yogurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice, most of the walnuts, and the herb. Season well with salt.
Taste and adjust the balance: it should be sweet from the carrot, sharp from the yogurt and garlic, creamy, and well-salted. Add more lemon if needed.
Transfer to a serving dish. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to meld and the dish to chill properly.
To serve: drizzle with olive oil, scatter the remaining walnuts, dust with paprika or sumac, and serve with warm flatbread.

Notes

Havuç tarator keeps well in the refrigerator for 2–3 days and, like most yogurt-based dishes, benefits from being made the day before (the garlic deepens and the flavours integrate. The dish can be made entirely without walnuts for a nut-free version; a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh dill is sufficient. Sumac, with its sharp fruity acidity, is a particularly good garnish here) its sourness amplifies the tangy yogurt character.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control