Dairy
Tzatziki Base
Tzatziki base is thick strained yoghurt meant to carry grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and dill or mint into Greek tzatziki. Greek or Greek-style full-fat yoghurt is the starting point; loose stirred yoghurt makes a watery dip unless drained further in cloth. Salt and drain cucumber separately so the base stays thick. Fold oil and herbs gently; rest cold for flavours to marry. The base itself should be plain, tangy, and dense—never vanilla. Leftover base freezes poorly; keep refrigerated and use within a few days of opening.
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History
Garlic and cucumber with thick yoghurt-type dairy appear in eastern Mediterranean meal patterns ancestral to tzatziki.
Modern Greek tavernas fixed strained yoghurt as the non-negotiable body of tzatziki.
Greek restaurants abroad taught cooks to buy thick yoghurt specifically as tzatziki base.
Supermarket Greek yoghurt made home tzatziki reliable outside Greece.