Meze tales: A Greek saga

Think of calm, turquoise waters, soft sea breeze, nibbles of delicious food on the side, and zips of cold drinks. You may have seen the Greeks sitting comfortably at little cute taverns or even cafes all around the Athenian city centre, in groups, talking, laughing, and feasting on finger food. But what is this fuss about? What are those small plates filled with snacks, resembling the Spanish tapas? Welcome to the realm of meze: A feast for the eye, the stomach, the soul. Tiny dishes with all kinds of finger food, and the bright, omnipresent Greek sun, warming the smiles and the hearts. With meze, there are no rules, but one: There has to be a company, of two, the very least. You cannot enjoy it on your own. Well, you can, if you wish, but it will not taste the same. You see there is a philosophy behind the colourful palette of delicious delights that can range from your humble everyday slice of bread, olives and feta cheese to fresh, mouth-watering grilled seafood or stuffed grape leaves with rice and ground beef (dolmadakia). Companies of loving friends are sitting around the table, which no matter how small will eventually be big enough for everyone, feasting and zipping on their ouzo, raki, or tsipouro, even wine and beer (there are no rules, remember?), and talking just about anything, from how their day was, to sports, politics, love, and life.

Meze comes from the ancient Persian ‘maza’, a word meaning taste, and lies in the very heart of culinary life, not only in Greece, but also in Turkey, in the Middle East, even to the north of Africa. Meze unites instead of dividing, mixes, brings together, amalgamates ‘a little bit of everything’ in the cheerful ambiance of good company. The idea behind meze is to bring everyone together; it is an opportunity to share, to socialize. No one has their own plate; they have to share from several, small plates that belong to all. Sharing is the magical word, the connective tissue, the ‘glue’. Soon the atmosphere will be electrified by music (Greek, folk music of course, the more traditional the better), laughter, and glasses clinking, since the very familiar phrase ‘Ya mas’, (short for the toast Here’s to our health) will shortly follow.

Mezedes (plural for meze) are not appetizers as most people think. You start with meze and finish with meze. Variety is another word very much attached to meze: Carefully selected ingredients, vibrant colors, vivid flavors that awaken and delight the palate, cool drinks amidst the Greek summer heat and mixed conversations make the recipe for happiness. Meze is celebration, meze is hospitality, meze is tradition but can have a modern twist too, because in the course of history it has proven to be flexible and resilient and that is why it has survived to date. A wonderful blanket of tastes and aromas that can include rusks and spicy bits of cheese to sardines, fava and Florina peppers, meatballs in tomato sauce, sea urchins slightly cooked, mussels or even local sausages. In our one-of-a-kind Athens Food Tour you can experience this carefree combination of mezedes in a ritual-like route through the Athenian street markets, abundant of Greek delicacies with zips of strong spirits in-between. Life can be good. ‘Ya mas’!

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