TRADITIONAL TURKISH CUISINE
"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.
