Meze

Every great food culture has a tradition of small tasting plates served with a national drink. The Italians have antipasto, the French have hors d’oeuvres, the Spanish have tapas—all washed down with local wines. The Chinese have yum cha, served with tea. The Russians have zakuski, served with vodka.

And the Turks have meze, served with rakı (or occasionally wine or beer). Mezes are most likely to be served in a meyhane, which is a kind of bar/ bistro/pub where people meet for a chat and a drink and a bite from sunset until well after midnight. During the Ottoman period, the meyhanes were often run by families of Greek or Armenian background, because those cultures do not have the Muslim aversion to alcohol.