Meze

What is Meze?

Meze is an assortment of small hot or cold dishes set out for grazing. A table might hold cubes of brined cheese, glistening olives, slices of cured meat, and bowls of strained yogurt dip. Dressed salads such as tabbouleh or chopped vegetables sit beside stuffed vine leaves, fried squid, and charred octopus. Flatbreads or garlic bread accompany the spread to scoop up thick pastes like hummus, taramosalata, or spicy pepper purees. Flavours vary from fresh and herbal to salty, sharp, and fiery. Some plates provide just a mouthful or two to accompany a drink, while an entire sequence of courses can turn meze into a lavish dinner.

Where does Meze come from?

The word comes from Turkish, which adopted it from a Persian term meaning taste or relish. Historian Ayla Algar suggested it might trace back to ancient Persia, where tart fruits such as citrons, quinces, and pomegranates counteracted sour, unaged wine before roasted meats joined the table. In medieval Arab culture, texts described salted roasted almonds and other snacks called naql eaten with alcohol. The serving of small savoury plates took hold in the Byzantine era. It flourished inside Greek homes and taverns across the Ottoman realm, eventually spreading throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan territories.

How is Meze made?

Preparing meze involves assembling diverse cold and cooked components. Cooks chop fresh produce for herb salads and blend roasted aubergines or salted fish roe into smooth, emulsified pastes. Yoghurt is strained until dense, then blended with grated cucumber, garlic, or fresh herbs. Vine leaves, bell peppers, or mussels are filled with seasoned rice. Other dishes require quick cooking right before serving. Kitchens fry rounds of breaded cheese, pan-fry squid rings, grill skewers of seasoned meat, or simmer snails and organ meats. In several regions, cured sausages, bacon, and cured beef are sliced thin and served without heating.

How and when is Meze eaten?

Diners eat meze casually, dipping bread or picking at communal platters with forks and fingers. People rarely order just one item. In drinking spots like Turkish meyhanes or Greek ouzeries, meze accompanies spirits such as raki, ouzo, arak, or local brandies. Groups linger over their drinks as plates arrive in rounds. When served as a full feast, light foods like dips and pickles appear first, followed by warm vegetables, fried seafood, and finally grilled meats or hearty stews. Diners are not pressured to finish every plate, as hosts provide abundant food meant for leisurely sharing.

Kinds of Meze

In the Balkans, a meze platter resembles antipasto, focusing on dry-cured meats, cheeses, and cold preserves like ajvar rather than cooked items. Bulgarian tables feature shopska salad, spicy lukanka, and white sirene cheese. In Romania, an appetizer plate called mezelic pairs cured meats and vegetable relish with plum brandy. Levantine meze often forms a complete evening meal, presenting dozens of hot and cold dishes in waves. Syrian spreads are strictly savoury. Where religious customs limit alcohol, meze functions as a banquet starter rather than a bar companion, and cooks swap pork cuts for spiced beef or garlic sausage.

What Meze means

Meze reflects a social style of eating where conversation matters as much as the food. Tables fill with small saucers so guests can taste slowly over several hours. In Palestinian tradition, hosts offer sample plates to welcome guests at formal dinners or set them out alongside a nargila water pipe. Across the Balkans and the Levant, assembling an abundant table is a mark of hospitality, ensuring that anyone joining the circle finds plenty of varied tastes to sample.

Questions people ask about Meze

Good reading and sources

• Meze on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data