If you’re planning Middle Eastern mezze platters to share with friends, this collection is a good place to begin. It brings together simple, familiar favourites like hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, falafel, and soft flatbreads. These are all easy to prep ahead or pull together without much fuss. The mix of creamy dips, crisp salads, and savoury bites works really well for casual gatherings or easy dinners, and everything is easy to scale up or down depending on how many people you’re feeding.
Zeytoon Parvardeh
Zeytoon Parvardeh is a Persian Marinated Olive dish made with green olives, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, and fresh herbs. It’s rich, tangy, and a little nutty—full of the kind of flavor that makes you go back for another bite. This recipe comes from northern Iran, especially the Gilan region, where sweet, sour, and savory flavors are all part of everyday cooking.
To learn more: Zeytoon Parvardeh - Persian Marinated Olive
Turkish Carrot Mezze
Havuç Tarator (or Carrot Tarator) is a traditional Turkish mezze/dip made with grated carrots, thick yogurt, and garlic. It is quick and easy to prepare using a few simple ingredients you may already have on hand. This rich and refreshing carrot salad is a great addition to a mezze spread, served alongside other cold appetizers like hummus, haydari (garlic yogurt dip), Skordalia - Greek Potato Dip, and baba ghanoush.
To learn more: Havoc Tarator - Turkish Carrot Dip with Yogurt
Hummus
Hummus Dip is a Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern spread made with chickpeas and tahini, then seasoned with lemon, garlic, and cumin. This extremely creamy, smooth & fresh dip comes together in just 25 minutes!
To learn more: Mediterranean Hummus Dip
Muhammara
Muhammara, also known as Acuka in Turkish, is a delicious Middle Eastern dip made with red pepper paste, garlic, walnuts, spices, and olive oil.
It is extremely easy to prepare and is ready in 15 minutes with minimal cleaning up!
To learn more: Muhammara - Red Pepper Dip
Kashk e Bademjan
Kashk e Bademjan is a traditional Persian aubergine dip that combines roasted aubergines, caramelized onions, and a tangy dairy ingredient called kashk. It’s simple, rich in flavor, and comes together with a handful of pantry ingredients.
To learn more: Kashk e Bademjan - Persian Eggplant Dip
Cig Kofte
This Easy Meatless Çiğ Köfte Recipe is a vegetarian twist on the popular Turkish street food from Urfa, a city in southeastern Turkey.
It also makes a great appetizer or meze and is similar to Kibbeh Nayyeh from Levantine cuisine.
To learn more: Easy Meatless Çiğ Köfte Recipe
Sigara Boregi
Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls) are crispy Turkish appetizers/meze made with thin and flaky filo sheets called "yufka", filled with feta cheese, and then shallow-fried for extra crispness.
To learn more: Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls)
Saksuka
Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze) is a very much loved vegetarian/vegan dish made of shallow-fried vegetables and a simple tomato sauce.
The star ingredient for this traditional Turkish dish is the aubergines and the rest of the vegetables added to the dish vary from region to region.
To learn more: Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze)
Arnavut Cigeri
Arnavut Cigeri (or Albanian Liver) is a Turkish Liver dish consisting of a pan-fried lamb or veal liver cubes seasoned with chili flakes and served with sumac, onion, and parsley salad.
This simple recipe is extremely easy to prepare and tastes great.
To learn more: Arnavut Cigeri - Turkish Liver
Haydari
Haydari is a delicious Turkish Yoghurt Dip made with feta cheese, thick strained yogurt, fresh herbs, and chopped walnuts.
This tangy dip is one of the most popular mezes in Turkey and also is widely served in Turkish restaurants with kebabs and Pita Bread along with Ezme Salad (Acili Ezme).
To learn more: Haydari (Turkish Yogurt Dip)
Acili Ezme
Turkish Acili Ezme Salad is a spicy Turkish dip/appetizer commonly served at restaurants alongside a basket of warm Turkish Pide Bread or Pita Bread. This flavorful and nutritious dip is made from a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs, which are finely chopped and mixed together with olive oil and spices.
To learn more: Turkish Acili Ezme Salad
Labneh - Yogurt Cheese
Labneh is a tangy, smooth, and creamy cheese made by straining the whey out of yogurt until it reaches a rich and luxurious cream cheese consistency.
Crafting this delightful dip is a breeze, requiring just two simple ingredients and a mere 5 minutes of hands-on time.
To learn more: Homemade Labneh (Yogurt Cheese)
Pacanga Boregi
Turkish Cuisine has many delicious Borek recipes and Paçanga Böreği is one of the nation's favorites.
These delicious fried pastry rolls are made of yufka sheets filled with Kasar cheese, pastirma, tomatoes, and peppers.
To learn more: Pacanga Boregi
Leave a Reply