Turkish Mezes: The Ultimate Guide to my 13 Favorite Appetizers

What is Turkish Meze?

A meze is a small dish that can be served as an appetizer or multiple put together to form a main course. Turks love having a lot of options and would rather have lots of options with just a little of each. They even have a saying for it:

Az az ortaya.

It literally means, “little little into the middle”. You say it when you want a mix of the restaurant’s various foods in small portions, instead of your own dish.

Turks love it when a Westerner says this phrase, as it shows an appreciation for their way of eating.

Something else to note about these is that some are cold mezes and some are hot. The ones in the refrigerated section don’t get heated up and are meant to be eaten cold.

1. Patlican Şakşuka (Eggplant)

This is probably one of my absolute favorites. I have to exercise a lot of self-control to not eat the whole dish, especially when it is done exceptionally well.

The funny thing is that prior to living in Turkey, I didn’t really like eggplant. Actually, it was one of the very few foods I disliked. Upon moving to Turkey, however, I learned how to cook it and have fallen in love!

Şakşuka is roasted eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and spices. Of course, it also has some olive oil in there. I usually need to add a little salt but seriously the flavors of this side are so yummy.

This dish has its roots in Ottoman cuisine. The name has roots in the Arabic word “saksuka” which means “mixed or mixture”. While it is often seen with eggs on top, here in Turkey it is typically served without eggs.

use this recipe to Make it at home

2. Gİrİt ezmesİ

Last year, my dear friend introduced me to girit, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. When he picked it out, I was intrigued—and soon understood the fascination with this meze.

It was so delicious that I nearly ate all of it! Good thing I don’t think he minded much.

This dish originates from the island of Crete and is a “mash”.

It is typically a combination of feta cheese (or similar cheese), olive oil, and walnuts, though every restaurant adds its own twist. The green version also includes basil and other fresh herbs.

What I loved about this meze at Âlâ Restaurant was the addition of parsley and dill, which gave it a light and refreshing flavor.

There are plenty of recipes for girit, and many mash the ingredients together, but I found that I prefer it a bit chunkier.

The flavor was delightful, and the texture was perfect. Paired with a fresh, warm roll, I felt like I was in heaven.

use this recipe Make it at home

This is in Turkish but you can copy and paste it into Google Translate quite easily and worth it as her stuff is great!

3. Denİz börülcesİ

The English name for this is Samphire salad. Honestly, when I first saw it I was a bit hesitant because it didn’t look so appetizing but it was absolutely fantastic. Again my friend killed it with the recommendation.

This meze is rich in iodine and iron much like seaweed and goes by other names like pickleweed or glasswort. This samphire plant is combined with lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to produce a lovely pickled-flavored dish.

Perhaps it isn’t always so pickled in flavor but the one we ate was and I will definitely be ordering it again!

This plant is actually a succulent and long ago was used in the production of glass interestingly enough. Don’t worry, the ash was used. It is perfectly safe and delicious to eat.

It is also enjoyed around the world in various contexts so it is a bit harder to nail down where it came from first.

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4. Hummus

I have had a love/hate relationship with hummus over the years. Sometimes the flavor is so good you eat so much that you’re sick of it.

Other times, it seems to have a really gritty flavor and can sometimes be quite bland. I recently learned a trick to make this obsolete.

The trick is to cook your chickpeas with 1/2 t of baking soda and it breaks down the skin and makes your hummus light and fluffy. I was amazed! Since moving to Turkey and learning how to make it myself, I can’t buy store-bought anymore.

One difference you will sometimes see with Turkish hummus, especially at some restaurants, is that it can be served hot in a clay dish with meat on top. Yummm.

It isn’t always like this but definitely a fun twist on the now internationally common snack. Plus in addition to tasting good, this meze is packed with fiber, protein and vitamins & minerals.

Its origins have been much debated over the years but according to some medieval Arabic writings about food that were found, Syria seems to be the origin point for hummus.

Obviously, each culture still impacts the flavor and texture of the dish, making it their own.

use this recipe to Make it at home*

*I would start with half the tahini and add in more if you want more.

5. köpoğlu

This dish has origins in Turkey and Romania and is a type of relish but is sometimes also seen as a salad.

It commonly includes ingredients like green and red peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, pepper, and bay leaves and is typically cooked in the oven.

It is typically spread on bread or eaten by itself. If it isn’t blended into a relish it can even be eaten as a salad.

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You will need the Google Translate plugin to make this one. Working on finding a better English version but for now, this is the best one I could find.

6. İzgarada Halloumİ Peynirİ

I had never heard of grilling cheese before coming to Turkey. Wouldn’t it just melt? Apparently not with Halloumi cheese.

This cheese is so incredibly easy to grill and ends up being used in a lot of dishes. It is quite a versatile cheese. It is a great meze but it can also be used on salads, at breakfast, or with a meal.

While it is often served on its own, I find it quite lovely to combine it with things especially the last meze on this list, acili ezmesi. The salty flavor of the cheese pairs well with the spicy tomato and pepper mixture.

This cheese originated in Cyprus and is typically made from goat and sheep milk. Because of its high melting point, it is a cheese that can easily be grilled or fried.

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11. Sarma

In my opinion, not all sarma are created equal. Many people put a lot of lemon in theirs but I’m not a fan of lemon in food (though I love it in water and sweets). Some even have ground beef (etli sarma) in their sarma.

That being said, this is a meze you can definitely play with the flavor a little more and see what you like. Some are sweeter and tangier whereas others are nuttier and more savory.

Either way, sarma can be made from cabbage or grape leaves. You make a delicious rice mixture, scoop a little into each leave, and roll it like a cigar. They are lovely!

I love to stop and get a couple of hundred grams from somewhere that has made them fresh and eat them as snacks or part of my meal for the next couple of days.

This dish is a traditional Ottoman dish and has spread through the region, each country making it its own.

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12. Haydarİ

Something I found interesting was that Turks use a lot of mint in their dishes.

Sometimes it is just a small amount that you can barely point out but it changes the flavor of the dish ever so slightly. Other times it is a much more prominent flavor to the dish.

With haydari you definitely will be able to taste it, more or less depending on how much mint you add. It is such a nice balance to the other really strong flavors that are likely on your table, however, so don’t dismiss it too quickly.

This is also a dip-type dish that you could combine with bread or veggies to eat or perhaps you’ll enjoy it by the spoonful.

Hydaris roots were harder to find but it seems to be in line with the Ottoman style of food. Some recipes call for using yogurt as the base and others use labne (similar to a blend of sour cream and cream cheese), which probably indicates where it is from.

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Things you should know

How are they eaten?

Türk mezeleri (or Turkish mezes) are shared among everyone at the table. They are put in the middle of the table and everyone adds a spoonful to their own plate so make sure you don’t eat all of the delicious patlican şakşuka. hahah

They are typically served with some sort of bread but you can also just eat them by themselves.

How do you choose them?

You will either be eating a set meal where there are certain mezes included.

If they aren’t included they will either bring a large tray with the mezes covered in saran wrap and you pick the ones you want or you will go up to the refrigerated case of mezes and choose which ones you want.

You will find that eating your portion of each of the mezes can leave you quite stuffed with no room for your dinner. I love to do a small shared protein and a bunch of mezes when I go.

Just make sure you are aware of what you’re ordering and how much it is so you’re not surprised. Getting a lot of mezes can add up quickly.

What about Alcohol?

The Islamic faith doesn’t allow for alcohol so for a long time, alcohol wasn’t a part of the culture. As Turkey has become more and more secular more and more Turks have started to drink as well.

That being said, you will still have a harder time finding it in smaller villages where more devout Muslims live.

Raki, however, is the unofficial drink of Turkey. It is a liquor made from twice-distilled grapes that are then flavored with anise (think black licorice). If you like black licorice, then you will love it!

The more I have tried it, much like Ayran, the more I have grown to like it though I wouldn’t say I crave it just yet. I can, however, enjoy it now which is nice.

If you want to read a little more about raki and how to drink it, you can check out this blog post on Turkish drinks.

Wine is also often paired with Turkish mezzes though raki is typically preferred by locals. Though wine is growing in popularity here in Turkey as they focus on making better wines, raki is still the standard alcohol of choice.