Taste The Meze

Greek meze is a beloved food experience and a tradition that dates back to the ancient world in Greece. It's the ideal and hassle-free way to catch up with friends over a couple of great plates of food and some wine or spirits. Meze is a wonderful way to experience the diverse flavors and textures of Greek food because it is the meal itself, not just an appetizer to a larger meal.

Traditional Greek food is very simple and relies on high-quality fresh ingredients. Greeks eat family style, with a large number of small dishes, called meze, and everyone at the table shares that. “Meze” means taste or small bite. Like the food itself, eating Meze is a casual affair. Greeks are not shy about grabbing food from the shared plates with a fork, or with their fingers. It starts with the Greek salad (tomatoes, feta, cucumber, onion, peppers, olives) and dips (fava, tzatziki) and then leads to meat and fish dishes, and side dishes like wild greens and fried potatoes.

Never forget to squeeze some lemon juice into virtually everything, even the typical beverages like raki, ouzo, and house wine. Any taverna will provide these nibbles, while new variations on the classic meze include Barbounaki in Kolonaki and Seychelles in Metaxourgheio.