Meze Spread

A composite plate of small Turkish dishes eaten together, typically including hummus, haydari (strained yogurt with garlic and dill), patlıcan ezmesi (smoked aubergine purée, the Turkish baba ganoush), ezme (chopped tomato-onion-pepper-parsley salad with pul biber), cacık (Turkish tzatziki), dolma (stuffed vine leaves), feta or beyaz peynir, olives, and warm flatbread, often with raki on the table alongside. The challenge is breadth: no single dominant flavour, but a layered composition of yogurt-tang, smoked aubergine, fresh tomato-and-pepper, herbal lift, brine, and bread.