The Greek “mezes”
The Greek kitchen is very well known all over the world for its healthy ingredients in a great variety which derives from fresh local products. Pure olive oil, olives, dairy, herbs, vegetables in season, honey, seafood and fish are the components to create a complete and healthy delicious meal. The definition that you will find in a dictionary for the word “mezes” is far from what it really represents in the Greek culture and reality.
“Zorba the Greek” in Nikos Kazantzakis book, gives the best definition ever for the word “mezes”: “On this coast I felt for the first time what a pleasant thing it could be to have a meal. We started eating and drinking, the conversation became animated.
I at last realized that eating was a spiritual function and that meat, bread and wine were the raw materials from which the soul is made of”.
In free translation, I could say that it means the appetizer but in our culture “mezes” is something more than that.
It is something that you share with your family and friends, with people that you love and care for, as the “mezes” is always served in small round plates and everybody tastes, shares and enjoys in a variety of dishes accompanied by
ouzo, wine or sometimes beer and always eaten slowly and before main meals. It is a reason for us to get together and have fun, enjoy ourselves, laugh and have a good time.
Greek people or our visitors in Greece, enjoy the unique taste of “mezes” by the seaside in the hot summer days and evenings or in the local “tavernas” and “ouzeri”.
Here are a couple of very well known Greek traditional “meze” recipes and some others less known the way we make them back home.
It is very easy to make them and so full of taste. I hope you will enjoy them! This recipe is for what we call “tzatziki” and we usually accompany lamb dishes or any bbq meat with it.
But you can simply spread it on a slice of bread as well, and it will be the same delicious and tasteful.
You will need:
*2 cups strained yoghurt or the Greek yoghurt Total which you can find in big markets
*2 medium sized cucumbers, peeled and shredded
*4-6 crushed garlic cloves
*1 teaspoon salt (you can add more if you want it a bit more salty)
*4 tablespoons olive oil
*1-2 tablespoons vinegar
*2 tablespoons dill, chopped
*1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
*1 tablespoon ouzo (I personally ...
