Meze is a selection of food served as an appetizer course usually with Rakı. The mezes are a perfect complement to the aniseed flavours of this traditional alcoholic drink. Mezes vary across the country creating a vast array of specialities , many with strong regional associations. But it is more than just a starter. It is an experience. In Turkey, eating meze is a social activity; it’s chatting with friends and drinking rakı around the table for hours on end, while sharing spoons of hot and cold mezes, dipping bread into pickled or olive oil dressings, listening to traditional Turkish music. No need to look at the menus the restaurants have a food on show and you will find yourself gazing at the variety of meze dishes in the long glass fridges. Usually it is so tempting that you order many and skip the main meal altogether.
—Gamze Mutfakta (Piper Nigrum)
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