Meze

Tzatziki ( ), also known as cacık () or tarator, is a class of dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sometimes with lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. It is served as a cold appetiser (meze), a side dish, and as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros sandwiches and other foods.

thumb|Individual portion of shakshouka

Meze ( ; also spelled mezze or mezé) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian stuzzichini. A meze may be served as a part of a multi-course meal or form a meal in itself. Meze are often served with spirits such as arak, rakia, raki, oghi, ouzo, or grappa at meyhane and ouzeri.

Taramasalata or taramosalata (; from 'fish roe' < + Greek: 'salad' < ) is a meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe (colloquially referred to as caviar) of the cod, carp, or grey mullet (bottarga) mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds. Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice. While not traditionally Greek, smoked rather than cured cod's roe is more widely available in some places, and often used. Bottarga is usually much more expensive than cod roe.

The muhammara or mhammara () is a dip made of walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. While commonly associated with Syria, muhammara can also be found in Western Armenian cuisine. In western Turkey, muhammara is referred to as acuka and is served as part of the mezze platter appetizer course.

raw meat or vegan bulgur dish from the Turkish cuisine

Dakos or ntakos (), also known as koukouvagia or koukouvayia (κουκουβάγια) or kouloukopsomo, is a Cretan horiatiki consisting of a slice of soaked paximadi that is topped with tomatoes and cheeses such as feta or mizithra. The salad is then flavored with herbs such as dried oregano. Ingredients such as olives, capers, and caper berries are also often added to the dish.

Piyaz (, Persian: پیاز, Kurdish: pivaz, piyaz for "onion" or salad) is a bean salad or meze in Turkish cuisine and Persian cuisine that is made from any kind of boiled beans with raw onion, parsley and sumac. Optionally, a boiled egg can be added to this dish.

traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened in a goatskin casing

Turkish cold dish (or meze) of "balls" of boiled red lentils, bulgur, green onions etc

Gian beans Greek dish

stuffed mussels, Turkish style

thumb|Şakşuka Şakşuka is a Turkish side dish or meze made of vegetables cooked in olive oil. The particular vegetable may vary from region to region, but eggplant is a common choice. Balıkesir şakşuka is made with green tomatoes. The dish sometimes includes potato and peppers as well.

broad bean-based meze from the Turkish cuisine

chicken dish from the Turkish cuisine