The Aegean: Home of Sea-Breeze Flavours When It Comes to Meze
The Aegean region has a rich and varied food culture within Turkish cuisine. Cold meze are an important part of Aegean cooking and are usually prepared with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and spices. Here are some of the most famous cold meze of the Aegean region:
1. Vine Leaves Stuffed in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma): Fresh vine leaves are wrapped around a savoury filling and cooked in olive oil, making this delicious meze one of the essentials of Aegean cuisine.
2. Ali Nazik: Made by chargrilling aubergine and mixing it with yoghurt, this tasty meze is a favourite alongside meat dishes.
3. Fried Calamari (Kalamar Tava): Fresh squid is coated in flour, fried and served with lemon wedges
4. Artichoke Salad (Enginar Salatası): A delightful salad in which fresh artichokes are boiled, sliced and marinated in lemon water, then tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and fresh herbs before serving.
5. Stuffed Mussels (Midye Dolma): A dolma made by filling mussel shells with a mixture of rice, onion, spices and fresh herbs.
6. Circassian Chicken Salad (Çerkez Tavuğu): This salad is made by mixing shredded cooked chicken with a walnut paste and is flavoured with a variety of spices.
7. Samphire Salad (Deniz Börülcesi): Samphire is blanched in lemon water and dressed with olive oil, pomegranate molasses and a garlic sauce
8. Haydari: When it comes to Aegean cuisine, haydari is undoubtedly one of the most iconic meze. The favourite of all yoghurt-based meze and much loved for its wonderfully thick texture, haydari is flavoured with garlic, mint or dill and is usually served with bread or pide.
9. Curd Cheese Rolls (Lor Peyniri Rulo): The curd cheese is soaked in salted water, then mixed with parsley, dill, mint, black pepper and salt, rolled into a log, arranged on a flat plate and served.
10. Cacık: Made with yoghurt, grated cucumber and garlic, this refreshing meze is especially popular in the summer months.
11. Purslane Salad (Semizotu Salatası): A tasty salad of purslane dressed with pomegranate molasses and olive oil, served topped with walnuts or cheese.
12. Mücver: Mücver are fritters made from vegetables such as courgette or chard; they can be fried or baked and served with a yoghurt sauce.
13. Spicy Ezme (Acılı Ezme): Made from finely chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and onions, this ezme is used as a relish that adds flavour as well as heat.
14. Octopus Salad with Crab: Octopus salad with crab is a delicious meze or salad option for seafood lovers. You can enrich this delightful seafood salad with various spices or greens if you like, and garnish it with lemon slices as you wish.
15. Stuffed Courgette Flowers (Kabak Çiçeği Dolması): Courgette flowers need very delicate handling when washing and stuffing them, but once cooked they taste well worth all your effort. By following the detailed recipe, you can bring the same flavour to your own table.
16. Walnut Ezme (Cevizli Ezme): Made by crushing tomatoes, peppers and onions blended with pieces of walnut, this meze can also include tahini.
17. Cretan Ezme (Girit Ezmesi): Thoroughly mash white cheese and curd cheese, then add olive oil and garlic and mix well. Add walnuts, flaked almonds, pistachios and dill and keep mixing. Drizzle with olive oil when serving.
18. Köpoğlu: Pour yoghurt and garlic, whisked in a separate bowl, over fried aubergines and peppers and add salt. Meanwhile, cook grated tomatoes in oil. Pour the sauce over the meze when serving.
19. Beetroot with Yoghurt (Yoğurtlu Kırmızı Pancar): Peel the beetroot and place it in a pan. Add enough water to cover and boil until soft. Put strained yoghurt, salt and garlic in a deep bowl. Then grate the beetroot and add it to the yoghurt. Add chopped dill and olive oil and mix well.
20. Tangy Radish Salad (Ekşili Turp): Wash and clean the radishes well, then slice them thinly. Finely chop the parsley and add it to the same bowl as the radishes. Mix lemon, olive oil, pomegranate molasses and spices in a bowl, drizzle this dressing over the radishes and mix well.
21. Borlotti Bean Salad with Yoghurt (Yoğurtlu Barbunya): Start by boiling the borlotti beans. Sauté chopped onions and grated carrots in olive oil. Put the yoghurt in a bowl, add grated garlic and chopped dill, and mix.
22. Roasted Pepper Salad (Köz Biber Salatası): Roasted peppers are peeled, chopped and tossed with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and spices. It can also be served topped with garnishes such as pomegranate molasses and parsley.
23. Courgette with Tahini (Tahinli Kabak): The courgettes are first sliced and then fried in a pan or roasted in the oven. The golden courgette slices are then seasoned with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and spices. When serving, they can be topped with yoghurt or a tahini sauce if desired. Roasted courgette meze is a light and tasty option.
