By Gökmen Sözen

Turkey has in its heart all the features that will reveal delicious dishes with its countless spices, vegetables and plant diversity, as well as products specific to geographies that vary from region to region, with its sun and rain. It's time to take advantage of the gifts of the hot sun while embracing the heart-warming menus of winter and autumn and the summer season that has left the cold days behind. Greens, crimson tomatoes, spices dressed in all their flavors… The most precious accompaniments of sweltering summer days and summer dinners are mezes… The best friends of conversation and alcohol, they are both healthy and delicious as they do not weigh on the stomach. Well, do you know the story of meze in Turkey? Let's dive deep into the culture of meze, the most popular food type of Turkey's chatty tables.

The word meze is based on the Persian word “maza” which means “taste”. It is very similar to the Spanish food known as tapas, but differs from the Spanish version as different ingredients are used. It is known as "antipasti" in Italy and "hors d'ouvre" in France. It is also known as the "traveler's meal" in the history of Turkey, as it is taken on short trips such as appetizers, picnics, and on trips that take more than a few days. Mezes, which can be found on almost every table, consumed before the meal, with alcohol or with the meal, turn small portions into big feasts with the bursts of flavor they create in the mouth.

Meze is not just food prepared to fill the stomach. It gathers friends, families and loved ones around the same table. Chatting is an excuse to get together. You don't have to worry about it getting cold, so you don't have to leave the table for long hours. It should be eaten calmly, in small bites, to taste.

As it is known, meze is one of the main elements of tavern culture. For example, there were “walking taverns” in the Ottoman Empire. These people, walking around, would fill the guts of sheep with a tap attached to it with wine or raki and tie it around their waist. There were drinking glasses under their robes on their backs. Drinkers who could barely find the money for a glass of drink could not afford meze. They would drink the glass in one gulp, and wipe their lips with the back of their fist-shaped hands instead of eating meze. It was also called “the punch meze”.

In the time of old Istanbul, a famous composer and a famous poet used to make their own appetizers while sitting together in the tavern they frequented. They would mash and mix the local white cheese of the Western region of Turkey with olive oil, sprinkle black pepper on it and eat it with small, crispy cucumbers that grow in our country. This can be a nice example of seeing our appetizer culture more closely and getting to know the ingredients from past to present.

It is unknown who made the first appetizer and when. However, since we know that the Cretans were the first to find olive oil, and because cold appetizers are usually made with olive oil, it is estimated that the first appetizer was made by the Cretans. The oldest data found on the olive tree are olive leaf fossils unearthed during archaeological studies on Santorini Island in the Aegean. The clearest data on olive oil dates back to the Cretan Civilization in the Mediterranean, around 4,500 BC. It is the Cretans who played the most important role in spreading the use of olive oil in other tribes in the Mediterranean. With the discovery of olive oil, there have been changes in the food culture. With the aroma of olive oil, the dishes have become more delicious and durable.

In the Ottoman palace cuisine, there were dishes cooked with olive oil. However, because of the prohibition of alcohol in the religion of Islam, meze as a food culture could not find an area and environment for itself to develop. Non-Muslims living extensively in Istanbul have been communities that have developed the mezze culture. Non-Muslim communities, which opened taverns and delicatessens, helped the meze to become a part of Turkish history.

The etiquette of the appetizer is the same in the use of this form of service all over the world. Mezes are not served in large portions to fill your stomach. It should not be eaten fast, it should stay on the table for a long time. For this reason, materials that can stand at room temperature are used. It should be prepared with seasonal and fresh products.

There are so many mezze restaurants located in Turkey and I would like to give examples of the most popular, known ones from Istanbul. Mükellef, steals hearts with its breath-taking Bosphorus view, bringing you the excellent meze taste where you can pick from numerous species. It is in one of the most historical counties of Istanbul; Karaköy, which is known with mezze and tavern culture. 

Michelin recommended Eleos takes you to Greece with its Aegean mezes. Chef Mezze, located in one of Istanbul’s outstanding neighbourhoods, Arnavutköy, is devoted to mezes with a beautiful landscape. You can find and taste Aegean and Middle Eastern mezes. It also has main dishes in its menu, but as I underlined before, meze is the center of attention since it is a whole culture in Turkish cuisine. There so many more meze restaurants in Turkey that cherishes and respects our meze culture. This rooted culture, with no doubt, will live and live by growing and expanding, keeping and strengtening its place in Turkish gastronomy.

And I am sure that you wonder about these mouth-watering meze species and the ingredients in them. Let’s discover some of the most known and eaten meze recipes in summary.

Haydari – Strained yogurt, dill, garlic, dried mint, olive oil

Hummus – Boiled and mashed chickpeas, tahini, garlic, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice

Muhammara – Tomato paste, red pepper paste, bread crumbs, roasted red pepper, garlic, cumin, black pepper

Babagannuş – Roasted pepper and eggplant, onion, red pepper paste, finely chopped tomato and parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic

Fava – Very softly boiled broad beans blended with cooked onion, lots of olive oil, dill to garnish

Şakşuka – Diced and fried potatoes, seedless eggplant, red pepper, green pepper with cooked garlic-tomato sauce on top

Topik – Onion, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, currants and tahini for internal mortar; with an outer coating made with mashed potato, boiled and mashed chickpeas, tahini

Köpoğlu – Roasted pepper and eggplant, sauted with olive oil, tomato, garlic and strained yogurt for the top

Lakerda – Fresh bonito fish, brined with rock salt for 20 days

Spinach Borani – Boiled spinach, onion cooked with butter, black pepper, garlic, strained yogurt

Circassian Chicken – Boiled and finely shredded chicken, onion, carrot, cloves, parsley boiled together; bread crumbs, chicken broth, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper

Sea Beans with Olive Oil – Boiled sea beans, boiled garlic; olive oil, white grape vinegar, pomegranate syrup, red pepper flakes

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers – Freshly picked zucchini flowers filled with rice

Spicy Paste – Finely chopped onion, tomato, parsley, spicy green pepper, fresh mint leaves, isot spice, sumac, lemon juice, olive oil

Tarama – Strained yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, crushed garlic, fresh basil, roasted red pepper, fresh mint, fresh green onion, fresh dill, pickled gherkins, boiled corn, capers

And these are just a few, the most classical and traditional mezes of Turkish culture. With rich and aromatic ingredients that creates a burst of flavour in your mouth, Turkish meze species are always the ones that your eyes look for on the table.