A to Z: A Trip Around the World Through Soup - Country B

2nd Cup | B: Bulgaria, Tarator

――――――

"Are you doing it again?"
My husband asked after reading my previous article.
"I am! Next up is countries starting with the letter B."

I had already done some research and confirmed there were 17 countries.
Just like with the countries starting with A, I am using the first letter of their common English names as the standard.

"Let's see, Brazil and..."
I couldn't think of any others.
In my head,
"Since B is the 'ba' row in Japanese kana..."
I tried listing them in order, but for some reason, I couldn't recall a single country name.

"There are 17 countries, and you can only come up with Brazil?"
To my husband's exasperated comment, I could only offer a bitter smile and agree that he was absolutely right.

[Off to Country B]

If there are 17 countries starting with B, I might as well choose a soup that fits the current season.

Japanese summers are hot.
It is currently July, and just walking for 10 minutes makes sweat pour down my face.
It's humid and muggy now, but after the rainy season ends, I'm sure it will become a sweltering heat that melts your thoughts away.

――Luca, are you okay with the Japanese summer?

"I'll be honest."
"It's hot."

――I thought so (laughs).

"The Japanese summer feels like being slowly stewed in steam."

If I were to make a piping hot soup in a Japanese kitchen during summer, both Luca and I would be pushed to the brink of heatstroke (conceptually).
In that case...

――Luca, it's time to choose a country starting with B.
Is there a country with a soup that's easy to eat even in the Japanese summer heat?

"For A, we saw steam rising from a pot."
"For B, why don't we look at the small water droplets on a glass bowl?"

――We don't have glass bowls at home, but a refreshing soup is more than welcome!

Luca's top recommendation was Bulgaria's Tarator.
When you think of Bulgaria, your knee-jerk reaction is that it's the land of yogurt.

A cold soup that doesn't require fire.
That alone is already perfect.
Yogurt soup, huh...
I always think of yogurt as a dessert...
But I'd rather avoid piping hot soup when I'm drenched in sweat.

I had Luca come up with a recipe based on the Tarator made in Bulgarian homes, but substituted with ingredients easy to find at a Japanese supermarket.
It seems to be a soup that is easy to drink even when you have summer fatigue and is popular in Bulgaria during the summer.
"Prioritize your life."
That is a shared understanding between Luca and me.

No fire needed, just mix it all together.
The ingredients to combine are cucumber, walnuts, and herbs.
This soup is attacking my fixed idea that yogurt belongs in the dessert category.

Can I really travel all the way to Bulgaria with just this?

[Making Tarator]

On my day off, I went to the supermarket a 5-minute walk from my house to gather ingredients, and I was able to buy almost everything.
I took a bus to a supermarket in front of the station that has a good selection of herbs to buy fresh dill.
Compared to rosemary or basil, it feels like it has less of a presence.
I'm a Japanese person who loves green and red shiso, so I haven't really made friends with foreign herbs and spices yet.
And yet, here I am holding dill, about which I have zero prior knowledge.

This herb has fine, thread-like leaves that are densely packed.
The pack contains more than I can use for this soup.
After I write the soup article, I'll leave the leftover dill to my future self.

Now that all the main ingredients are gathered, I line them up on a tray for a photo.

Since this is a cold soup, there's no stewing involved.
So, I'll let my favorite Le Creuset pot rest and use a bowl as my travel companion.
The luxury of worrying about aesthetics is stripped away—that is the Japanese summer.

I start cooking while looking at the recipe card made by Luca.
I had checked a video on how to dice cucumbers beforehand, so I finished cutting them smoothly.
I've been chopping them haphazardly for decades, so this was a new lesson.
After the cucumber, I chop the dill.
The scent of dill is hard to describe.
It has a refreshing greenness and a hint of mint-like quality. The cool, refreshing scent is truly that of an herb.
Once chopped, I set aside one tablespoon for the soup and wrapped the rest in plastic wrap to put in the freezer.
I crushed the walnuts with a pestle.

While I was crushing the walnuts, my husband wandered into the kitchen.
"Can I eat the walnuts?"

I reply with a look that says, 'I have no choice.'
"I've already set aside what I need, so you can eat the rest."

My husband loves nuts.
Just like with the pearl barley, I had anticipated that I would get the justification of 'because my husband will eat it' for the walnuts.
Also, he'll surely eat the leftover yogurt, too.
This soup project is supported by my husband's stomach, without him even knowing it.

I put all the ingredients into the bowl and mixed them together.
The yogurt lost its thickness after adding water, and it now looks like a smooth soup.
All that's left is to chill it in the refrigerator.
It's 11:00 PM at this point. Since I'm taking photos while writing the article, I couldn't do it at the same time as the family dinner, so I ended up making it late at night.
Even if the Tarator doesn't suit my taste, I can't involve my family who have already finished dinner.
Please, let it be delicious...
While it was chilling, I drafted the article up to the point just before tasting and decided to take a bath.

[Late-night tasting]

After my bath.
It's past 1:00 AM.
I ladle a slightly small portion of Tarator into a soup bowl.
It's a shame I couldn't take a picture reflecting Luca's aesthetic sense because I don't have a glass bowl.
I sprinkle a small amount of unchopped dill on top for the finish.
It looks like soup.
A greenish scent and a faint aroma of garlic.
I scoop up a spoonful and put it in my mouth.

………….

The greenness of the cucumber and the freshness of the dill aren't a bad combination.
I can also enjoy the crunchy texture of the fresh diced cucumber and the crispness of the walnuts.
The cold soup is perfect for summer and seems like it will cool down the heat from my bath.
However, yogurt is just yogurt, no matter what.
Dill and yogurt both have flavors that are too assertive.
Maybe one tablespoon of dill, which I'm not used to eating, was too much for me.
I should have started with one teaspoon.
The scent of dill lingers in my mouth forever.

Well, I made two servings of Tarator, but there is a little more than one serving left in the bowl.
I gave up my spot under the ventilation fan to my husband, who appeared in the kitchen again to smoke, and asked if he wanted to try a taste.

"…No, I'm going to sleep, so I'll pass."
I couldn't get him to join me.
I put the Tarator back in the refrigerator for now.

And then, I think.
Why don't I remake the Tarator?
I am a woman who loves remaking dishes and changing flavors.
And naturally, I summon Luca.

――How about marinating chicken in the Tarator and then grilling it?

"Saki, that is a very good idea."
"Yogurt, garlic, and dill go well with chicken, and when grilled, it becomes a tender, slightly tangy herb chicken."

[Remake Strategy]

I can see a path to victory.
After making the tarator, I slept on it, stopped by the supermarket on my way home from work the next day, and bought some chicken.
Today is July 15th, the day the soup article is scheduled to be published.
I'll marinate the chicken as soon as I get home and serve it for the family's dinner.
I just need to write an article about it and publish it before the date changes.
A sudden RTA (Real-Time Attack) begins.

As soon as I get home, I strain the tarator through a sieve, collect the cucumbers and walnuts, and move them to a storage container.
I think I'll wash the yogurt liquid off the cucumbers and walnuts and have them as a snack with beer.
I might eat them during my solo celebration after finishing the article, and maybe I'll add my thoughts later. Or maybe not.
However, I promise I won't throw them away; I'll definitely eat them, so at least I won't be wasting food.

I put the now-liquid-only tarator and the chicken into a zippered storage bag, massage it, and put it back in the fridge.
I also added a little lemon juice while I was at it.
After marinating for about two hours, I take the chicken out, wipe off the marinade, and grill it in a frying pan.
I won't be reusing the used marinade.
Just as I finished planning these steps in my head, my husband walked into the living room.

"I don't need dinner tonight."

My husband's joy in life is going to the local town Chinese restaurant every Wednesday night to have ramen, gyoza, and beer.
Tonight was Wednesday.
My plan to drag him along has failed once again.
In that case, I'll just grill my own portion and freeze the rest while it's still marinating.
It's a homemade meal kit.

I had lunch after 3:00 PM today, so...
I'm not very hungry, so after taking out two pieces of meat with tongs, I squeeze the air out, flatten the bag, and quickly put it in the freezer.
I'll serve the frozen portion as a main dish for dinner sometime this month.
Please, let it be delicious...! (Second time)

After wiping the marinade off the chicken I took out with a paper towel, I place the chicken skin-side down in a frying pan heated with olive oil.
I cook it over medium heat, and once it's browned, I flip it over and cook it thoroughly over medium-low heat.
I took my eyes off it for a second, and it got a bit burnt.

I put the grilled chicken on top of some cabbage garnish drizzled with Caesar dressing, and it's done.
I take a bite of the smaller piece of meat.

...Wow (Surprised)
Wait, this is delicious...
The freshness of the dill has blended into the meat.
The meat is tender.
The yogurt and dill, which were rivals in the tarator, have become comrades-in-arms.

The remake is a success!
According to Luka,
"It's like a non-spicy relative of tandoori chicken."
Indeed, if you only look at the part where it's marinated in yogurt, they might be relatives.
I tried to go to Bulgaria through soup, but ended up with herb chicken.

It turned out to be an unexpected entry stamp, but travel has its share of surprises.
This tarator taught me about deliciousness in an unexpected way.
I've become interested in yogurt dishes other than soup.
――――――

Country this time: Bulgaria

Dish this time: Tarator
Hard-to-find ingredients: Dill (took a bus to the supermarket in front of the station)
Substitutions: Sunflower oil -> Olive oil
Surprising discovery: The texture of cucumbers and walnuts is addictive
Memorable aroma: Dill. It has a strong presence
Next time: Replace cold water with milk. Try using a smaller amount of dill.
Remake dish: Chicken marinated in tarator. It's juicy, and the dill is a nice accent.

[Luka's Spoonful]

"...That's why I love traveling in the kitchen."