Meze & Appetizers
Meze — the Turkish tapas culture — is often the highlight of any meal. A meze evening with friends, rakı, and endless small plates is the Turkish way of life.
Cold Meze (Soğuk Meze)
- Hummus: Chickpea puree with tahini, lemon, and olive oil
- Babaganuş (Patlıcan Salatası): Smoky eggplant puree — the best thing that can happen to an eggplant
- Haydari: Thick yogurt with garlic, dill, and mint
- Atom (Ezme): Spicy paste made from peppers, tomatoes, and chili peppers
- Yaprak Sarma: Stuffed vine leaves with rice, pine nuts, and currants
- Çoban Salatası: Shepherd's salad made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers — fresh and simple
- Fava: Bean puree with dill — an Aegean specialty
Warm Meze (Sıcak Meze)
- Sigara Böreği: Crispy phyllo dough cigars with cheese filling
- Kalamar (Calamari): Fried squid rings — found everywhere along the coast
- Patlıcan Kızartma: Fried eggplant slices with yogurt
- Arnavut Ciğeri: Fried liver, Albanian style — surprisingly delicious
- Midye Dolma: Stuffed mussels with rice and spices — a street food classic in Istanbul
A meze evening works like this: order 4–8 meze, along with fresh bread, rakı, and water. Eat slowly, talk a lot, order more. Often, you don't need a main course afterward.
💡 Tipp
Never order the complete menu in a meze restaurant — start with 4–5 cold meze and one warm, and order more as needed. This way, everything stays fresh and you won't overeat. Rakı is mixed 1:1 with water (turns milky white, hence "lion's milk") and is always accompanied by water.