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"Meze"
Dishes to Accompany the Spirits
In
Turkey, despite the Islamic prohibition against wine
and anything alcoholic, there is a rich tradition
associated with liquor. Drinking alcoholic beverages
in the company of family and friends, both at home as
well as in taverns and restaurants, is a part of
special occasions. Similar to the Spanish tapas,
"Meze" is the general category of dishes that are
brought in small quantities to start the meal off.
These are eaten, along with wine or more likely with "raki",
the anise-favoured national drink of Turks sometimes
referred to as "lion's milk", until the main course is
served. The bare minimum meze for raki (lion milk) are
slices of honeydew melon and creamy feta cheese with
freshly baked bread. Beyond this, a typical meze menu
includes dried and marinated mackerel, fresh salad
greens in thick yogurt sauce and garlic, plates of
cold vegetable dishes cooked or fried in olive oil,
fried crispy savory pastry, deep-fried mussels and
calamari served in a sauce, tomato and cucumber salad,
and fish eggs in a sauce. The main course that follows
such a meze spread will be fish or grilled meat. When
the main course is kebab, then the meze spread is
different. In this case, several plates of different
types of minced salad greens and tomatoes in spicy
olive oil, mixed with yogurt or cheese, "humus" (chick
peas mashed in tahini), bulgur and red lentil balls, "raw
köfte," marinated stuffed eggplant, peppers with
spices and nuts, and pickles are likely to be served. |
