Bulgarian Cucumber Soup

Name: Bulgarian Cucumber Soup
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 cucumbers (medium-large); 2 c. yogurt; 8 oz. sour cream; 1 c. milk; 3 tbsp. olive oil; garlic (1-2 cloves; minced); 2 tbsp. dill (fresh, chopped); 1 c. walnuts (coarsely chopped); salt; pepper

M. Blakely

Serves 6

This is one of the specialties at Zingerman's Delicatessen, located near the center of the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.

Various fruit or vegetable based cold soups are an Eastern European staple during the hot, humid summer months.

ᔥ Originally from "The Old Farmer's Almanac Family Favorites" (1999)

Ingredients

3 cucumbers (medium-large)
2 c. yogurt
8 oz sour cream
1 c. milk
3 tbsps olive oil
garlic (1-2 cloves; minced)
2 tbsps dill (fresh, chopped)
1 c. walnuts (coarsely chopped)
salt
pepper

Instructions

Keep screen awake

1
Peel & seed cucumbers. Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cucumbers in food processor; cut remainder into 1/2-in. cubes.. Toast & cool walnuts.
2
Put all cucumbers in bowl & stir in yogurt, sour cream, milk, olive oil, garlic, dill, & walnuts. Add salt & pepper to taste.
3
Cover bowl & refrigerate contents overnight. (If that's not possible, at least refrigerate several hours.)
4
Taste again before serving, adding more salt & pepper if needed.

Comments & Reviews (2)

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Stephen Eric Berry
10 months ago
We go to Zingerman's all the time. This recipe yielded excellent results and tastes very much like Zingerman's Bulgarian Cucumber Soup, an item the deli makes on a very limited basis: in July, I was told by an employee. I would suggest a few minor edits. First, the olive oil is completely unnecessary, just drop it. The soup tastes fabulous without any oil at all (it just so happens I forgot to add it), plus the sour cream, whole milk, and walnuts add the perfect amount of fat anyway. Second, use fresh dill: it's an important flavor in this soup and really comes through. Third, there's no need to seed the cucumbers. If you use English cucumbers, the seeds are very delicate. They puree perfectly in the food processor. I did skin my cucumbers but, given how thin the skins are, that was probably unnecessary. If you're looking for a wonderful, refreshing creamy soup to serve cold this summer, definitely try this recipe. We just made a double batch, so we'll be freezing some in a few days.
- Stephen Eric Berry
  10 months ago
  One more thing: we used Fage Zero-fat Greek Yogurt to make this recipe. I will definitely do that again!