Turkish Meze Platter (Zeytinyağlı Appetisers and Dips)

About This Recipe

Meze (from the Persian maza, meaning 'taste' or 'snack') in the Turkish tradition is not a single dish but an entire philosophy of eating — a constellation of small, flavour-dense preparations served with rakı, wine, or simply good bread to begin a meal or constitute a lazy long afternoon of shared tasting. Turkish meze is broadly divided into zeytinyağlılar (olive-oil dressed cold dishes) and sıcak mezeler (hot appetisers), with the cold dishes typically prepared in advance and centred on vegetables, legumes, and dairy. This platter gathers four essential components: haydari (a thick drained yogurt dip with garlic, dried mint, and dill); patlıcan salatası (fire-roasted aubergine salad with garlic and lemon); sarma (stuffed vine leaves filled with rice, pine nuts, currants, and herbs); and a simple marinated olive preparation with preserved lemon and dried chillies. Together, they demonstrate the Turkish meze sensibility: each dish independently delicious, the combination creating a complex, layered, convivial experience that is central to Turkish social eating culture.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 400 gthick strained yogurt (süzme yoğurt)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced to paste)
• 2 tbspdried mint
• 2 tbspfresh dill(chopped)
• 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil(divided)
• 2 largeaubergines(for patlıcan salatası)
• 2 clovesgarlic(for aubergine salad)
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 20 leavesjarred vine leaves(rinsed)
• 1 cupshort-grain or baldo rice
• 3 tbsppine nuts
• 3 tbspcurrants
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 1/2 tspallspice
• 200 gmixed olives(green and black)
• 1 strippreserved lemon peel(finely sliced)
• 1 tspdried chilli flakes
• salt and pepper(to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make haydari

   Beat the strained yogurt with garlic paste, dried mint, fresh dill, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt. Taste and adjust. Refrigerate until needed. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with paprika to serve.

2. 2

   Make patlıcan salatası

   Char the whole aubergines over a gas flame or under a hot grill, turning, until completely blackened and collapsed (15–20 min). Peel, drain, and chop the flesh. Mix with minced garlic, lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, and salt. Chill.

3. 3

   Cook the rice for sarma

   Fry pine nuts in olive oil until golden. Add rice, currants, cinnamon, allspice, 1 tsp salt, and 1.5 cups water. Simmer covered 12 minutes. Rest 10 min, then spread on a tray to cool.

4. 4

   Stuff and cook the vine leaves

   Lay a vine leaf flat. Place 1 tsp of rice filling in the centre, fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Arrange seam-down in a snug pot. Cover with water, add 2 tbsp olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Place a heavy plate on top. Simmer covered 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

   Placing a heavy plate inside the pot keeps the dolma from unrolling during cooking.

5. 5

   Marinate the olives

   Toss olives with preserved lemon strips, dried chilli flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

6. 6

   Arrange and serve

   Arrange all four components on a large platter or individual small bowls. Serve with warm pide or lavash bread, lemon wedges, and a good bottle of rakı or chilled white wine.

Variations

• •

  Add sıcak meze (hot appetisers): sigara böreği (cheese-filled fried pastry cigars) and arnavut ciğeri (spiced fried liver) for a full spread.

• •

  Seafood meze: add ahtapot salatası (octopus salad with olive oil and vinegar) for a coastal Turkish feel.

Storage

Each component keeps separately in the fridge for 3–4 days. Haydari should be drizzled with olive oil before storing to prevent a skin. Sarma are best at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions