Meze ( ; also spelled mezze or mezé) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian stuzzichini. A meze may be served as a part of a multi-course meal or form a meal in itself. Meze are often served with spirits such as arak, rakia, raki, oghi, ouzo, or grappa at meyhane and ouzeri.
Etymology
The word meze, used in all the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, is borrowed from the Turkish (), which was in turn borrowed from the Persian ( or ).
History
The custom of serving small dishes with alcohol dates back to medieval times. The meze tradition began in the Byzantine Empire and developed in Ottoman Greek houses and tavernes.
In addition, (), a concept mentioned in medieval Arabic texts, referred to small dishes like salted toasted almonds. Food historian Nawal Nasrallah considers them to be comparable to mezze.
Common dishes
Common features of meze include cubes of cheese, olives, grilled meats, or snacks like stuffed leaves, dolma, salads like tabbouleh, or dips like hummus.
In Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, mezé, mezés or mezédhes (plural) are small dishes, hot or cold, spicy or savory.
The Levant
In Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Israel, meze is often a meal in its own right. There are vegetarian, meat or fish mezes. Groups of dishes arrive at the table about four or five at a time (usually between five and ten groups). There is a set pattern to the dishes: typically olives, tahini, salad, and yogurt will be followed by dishes with vegetables and eggs, then small meat or fish dishes alongside special accompaniments, and finally more substantial dishes such as whole fish or meat stews and grills. Establishments will offer their own specialties, but the pattern remains the same. Naturally the dishes served will reflect the seasons. For example, in late autumn, snails will be prominent. As so much food is offered, it is not expected that every dish be finished, but rather shared at will and served at ease. Arak and Beer are often drunk with mezze, especially if meats are ordered.
In Palestinian cuisine, mezze typically refers to the sample dishes served at the start of a formal meal. Mezze is also served alongside a nargila. Palestinain ethnographer Tawfiq Canaan described in 1923 mezze as fruits, nuts, and bread that accompany spirits. In Syrian cuisine, mazza is typically only savory.
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File:Syria, Al-Husn, Arabic meze or mezze.jpg|Syrian meze
File:Arak Muaddi 4.jpg|Palestinian meze
File:Traditional lebanese cuisine table setting.jpg|Modern Lebanese meze
</gallery>
Turkey
thumb|Different meze plates from Turkey
In Turkey, meze often consist of beyaz peynir ('white cheese'), kavun (sliced ripe melon),