Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Meze
Prepare yourself for an assault by food: a pleasant assault, a sampling of and gorging on
around 30 dishes. The small plates may look unthreatening, but they keep on coming,
promising a night of indigestion laced with wonderful taste-bud-tantalising memories.
The word meze is short for
mezedes
or 'little delicacies', and is used by both the Greeks
and the Turks. Meze is almost never served for one: two is the minimum, and three's never
a crowd but the beginning of a beautiful feast. Try to dine in a larger group, since sharing
meze is as integral to the experience of eating it as the variety of the dishes themselves. All
the passing this and passing that and shouting across the table for more tahini or bread is a
true bonding experience that Cypriots share many nights a week.
First on the table are shiny olives, a salad and fresh bread, along with tahina, taramasal-
ata,
talatouri
(tzatziki) and hummus for dipping. Pace yourself, go easy on the bread, suck
on an olive or two, and crunch on a salad leaf.
Next are the vegetables. Some are garnished with lemon, some are raw, a few are pickled
or brought with haloumi. Sausages and Cyprus' own
lountza
(smoked loin of pork) follow.
Again, eat the vegies, sample a coin of sausage and a strip of cheese, but remember, a bite
of each will suffice because the biggies are still to come.
The next course is the meat (vegetarians may be able to order vegetarian meze). A meat
meze is a parade of lamb, chicken, beef, pork, souvlaki,
kleftiko, sheftalia
(spiced, grilled
sausage), meatballs and smoked meat. If you're having fish meze, then expect everything
from sea bass to red mullet, prawns, octopus and, of course, calamari (squid).
Finally the waiter will bring fresh fruit and pastries. You will doubtless be on your last
belt notch by now but, if possible, try some prickly pears - they're a real delicacy.
The best advice is to be sure not to have any lunch before you go for a meze dinner. Pace
yourself and eat slowly and, as with every good meal, a nice wine is recommended, so
choose a bottle and
kali orexi
-
bon appétit!
Dare to Try
Don't worry: if you want to play it safe with familiar ingredients, you can in Cyprus. But if
you fancy being just a tad bolder, there's plenty to consider. You could also try Greek or
Turkish coffee served
sketos
(in Greek) or
şekersiz
(in Turkish), which is without sugar, so
very bitter and strong.
