Meze & Salads

It is always time to taste meze. A combination of small, shared plates, served in the middle of the table, meze can mean appetizer, dessert, or the meal itself in different eastern Mediterranean countries. To serve an interesting meze spread, you should plan ahead, as most dishes can be cooked more than one day in advance and served at room temperature—and many of the flavors improve over the course of a couple of days. A main course may or may not follow. If you plan an all-meze meal, follow the Mediterranean tradition and start with spreads, pickles, and cold vegetable dishes, then continue with cold fish or seafood and finish with the warm plates—the fried vegetables, grilled octopus or fish, a pie or a casserole.