The word “meze” is found in all the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, which Bulgaria was apart from, and comes from the Turkish word “taste, flavor, snack, relish”, borrowed from Persian مزه (mazze “taste, snack” < mazīdan “to taste”). The English word was probably borrowed from the Greek version mezés (μεζές). Meze or mezze /ˈmɛzeɪ/ is a selection of small dishes served in the Middle East and the Balkans.
In Bulgaria, where I grew up to have meze meant to sit around the table for hours and enjoy the company and the food.Long afternnons and evenings were spent in my granny’s house where conversations went on and on. I love the feeling of sharing food and cooking for peple.Creating recipes and sharng them with you is my virtual vegan meze party today.
I love dinner parties and eating with my family is a small party, that we have every day. Every time I cook and we are together, it brings us closer to one another and we have a great time. So today I want to share with you some of my meze style recipes, which I love.You can mix and match them in many ways.There is one thing for sure-you are almost guaranteed to have a good time.
The beauty about this kind of food is, that most of the dishes can be enjoyed hot or cold. You can get the detailed recipe for the Mediterranean vegetables with potatoes here.
The roasted potatoes with vegetables are delicious just popping hot from the oven, but just as nice if you had them in a room temperature.
This one is simpler than simple. Those potatoes are just done in paprika and cumin in the oven and then served with sweet cherry tomatoes and hummus. Makes a lovely snack and its a wonderful combination.
This one is truly one of my favorite recipes.I love the way the greeks season almost anything with lemon, olive oil and oregano-its a magical combination and its so so nice! Anybody can make it and it’s very tasty. Simply season the veggies with garlic, lemon juice , olive oil and oregano.Then put them under the grill and cook them for about 20 minutes. To make the garlic sauce mix some sesame seeds, a few cashew nuts, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and blend in a VItamix. Keep in the fridge until you serve the meal.
And here is one more combination, that I also love. Serve with a leafy green salad of your choice or just enjoy as it is. The fantastic thing about these dishes is, that they are all good to mix and match and incredibly diverse. I love them all and I hope you would like them, too.
Have a wonderful tasty weekend and enjoy the ride.
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Thank you!
