From the Turkish table

Haydari — Thick Yogurt and Herb Meze

Name: Haydari — Thick Yogurt and Herb Meze
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300 g Plain strained yogurt; 75 g Beyaz peynir or feta, finely crumbled; 1 clove Garlic, finely grated; 1 tsp Dried mint; 10 g Fresh dill, finely chopped; 15 ml Olive oil; As needed Salt

A spoonable strained-yogurt meze with white cheese, mint, dill and garlic.

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thick haydari with dill and olive oil on a cobalt and turquoise ceramic plate.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings

Total time includes 20 minutes resting/chilling.

Turkish name: Haydari

What you’ll need

Ingredients

Adjust servings

4 servings

Ingredient amounts: 4 servings · 1×

Step by step

The method

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0 of 3 steps complete

Mix and chill

Mash the cheese with a spoonful of the yogurt until no large lumps remain.
Fold in the remaining yogurt, garlic, dried mint, most of the dill and 10 ml of the olive oil. Taste before adding salt, since the cheese may already provide enough.
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread on a small plate, make shallow swirls and finish with the reserved dill and 5 ml oil.

Season: Year-round

Strained yogurt, garlic and the recipe’s herbs can be used throughout the year where available. Fresh herb availability varies locally; the year-round label is a practical serving guide, not a fixed harvest calendar.

Ingredients & dietary preferences: Vegetarian with suitable cheese · Dairy

For a vegetarian version, choose cheese made without animal rennet.

Dish type: Meze