Home›Dishes›Tradition›MezzeFood TraditionMezzeMEZ-ehAlso Known As Meze; MezzaSocial and Ceremonial Dining CustomsPractitioner SystemDevelopingMezze, also spelled meze, is an array of small savory dishes, dips, salads and hot items served together and shared communally; in Lebanon and Cyprus especially it often constitutes an entire meal rather than a prelude to one. It is practiced across the Levant and more broadly the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, Greece and the Balkans, and food historians understand it as defined by the act of communal sharing rather than by any single dish. The Oxford Companion to Food traces the word to the Persian maza, meaning taste or relish, describing an ancient Persian wine culture in which tart fruits such as pomegranates, quinces and citrons were served to offset unripe wine, later expanded to nuts and small roasted meats. Britannica's food entries describe meze as commonly paired with a drink such as arak or raki, with the number and variety of dishes offered read as a sign of a host's generosity.FactsMezzeFAQsConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesOpen Questions (1 open question)Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)Comments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsDisputedOrigin RegionScholarly debateAncient Persia, with mezze's spread into the Levant and the wider Ottoman-controlled eastern Mediterranean undated in the sources consulted 1No specific start or end year for mezze's origin or diffusion was found in any reputable source consulted; presented as ancient Persian in origin per the Oxford Companion to Food, spreading through Ottoman channels at an unspecified later date. Following this atlas's own precedent on Salt: an unfixable date is refused, not invented, so origin-start-year and origin-end-year are left unset for this entity.MezzeFilter Results15 entriesDish FamilyAllEuropean Dips and Spreads (1)European Noodles and Dumplings (1)European Roasted, Grilled and Fried Dishes (1)European Stews, Braises and Sauced Dishes (2)Middle Eastern and North African Breads and Pastries (1)Middle Eastern and North African Dips and Spreads (4)Middle Eastern and North African Roasted, Grilled and Fried Dishes (1)Middle Eastern and North African Stews, Braises and Sauced Dishes (2)Middle Eastern Salads (2)CuisineAllEgyptian Cuisine (1)Greek Cuisine (5)Lebanese Cuisine (2)Middle Eastern Cuisine (3)Moroccan Cuisine (2)Persian Cuisine (1)Turkish Cuisine (1)Main IngredientAllBell Pepper (2)Cheese (1)Chickpea (2)Chili Pepper (1)Eggplant (2)Fava Bean (2)Feta (2)Garlic (5)Lemon (2)Olive Oil (3)Oregano (1)Spice (1)Tahini (1)Tomato (2)Vegetable (1)Water (1)Yogurt (1)Za'atar (1)Era (Origin Period)All-1500 (1)300 (1)1200 (2)1225 (1)1800 (1)1950 (1)Format/TypeAllEuropean Dips and Spreads (1)European Noodles and Dumplings (1)European Roasted, Grilled and Fried Dishes (1)European Stews, Braises and Sauced Dishes (2)Middle Eastern and North African Breads and Pastries (1)Middle Eastern and North African Dips and Spreads (4)Middle Eastern and North African Roasted, Grilled and Fried Dishes (1)Middle Eastern and North African Stews, Braises and Sauced Dishes (2)Middle Eastern Salads (2)CourseAllAppetizer (1)Condiment or Dip (5)Main Course (2)Dietary SuitabilityAllContains Dairy or Egg (3)Contains Meat or Poultry (1)Origin RegionAllEgypt (3)Greece (5)Lebanon (2)Morocco (1)Syria (1)The Levant (3)The Middle East (1)Turkey (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 15Baba GhanoushMezzeBalilaMezzeBissaraMezzeBouyiourdiMezzeFalafelMezzeFul MedamesMezzeGigantes plakiMezzeGoggesMezzeHummusMezzeManakishMezzeMoussakaMezzePiyazMezzeTabboulehMezzeTaktoukaMezzeTirokafteriMezzeFAQsWhere does mezze actually come from?The sources disagree. One account traces the custom of serving small shared dishes with drink to the Byzantine Empire and later Ottoman Greek households; a separate account traces the word itself further back, to ancient Persia.Mezze is an array of small savory dishes, dips, salads and hot items served together and shared communally, practiced across the Levant, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean, and in Lebanon and Cyprus it often stands in for a whole meal rather than a prelude to one. Its origin is genuinely debated rather than settled. One account holds that the custom of serving small dishes with drink dates to medieval times, with the meze tradition beginning in the Byzantine Empire and developing further in Ottoman Greek houses and taverns. A separate account, from the scholar Ayla Algar, locates the origin of the word itself further back, in ancient Persia, where meze may originally have consisted of fruits before nuts and roasted meat were added to the spread. Both accounts are recorded on this entity as a genuine dissent rather than a single settled answer, and the specific century the custom began in is recorded as an open question rather than guessed.ConnectionsExpressed ByBaba Ghanoush, Dishes Well-attested Source Baba Ghanoush (Wikipedia)tier 3Balila, Dishes Well-attested Source Balila (dish) (Wikipedia)Bissara, Dishes Well-attested Source Wikipedia, BissaraBouyiourdi, Dishes Well-attested Source Bouyiourdi (Wikipedia)Falafel, Dishes Well-attested Ful Medames, Dishes Well-attested Source Ful Medames (Wikipedia)tier 2Gigantes plaki, Dishes Well-attested Source Gigantes plaki (Wikipedia)Gogges, Dishes Well-attested Source Gogges (Wikipedia)Greek Cuisine, Cuisines Well-attested Hummus, Dishes Well-attested Iraqi Cuisine, Cuisines Well-attested Source Iraqi Cuisine (Wikipedia)Lebanese Cuisine, Cuisines Well-attested Manakish, Dishes Well-attested Source Wikipedia: ManakishMoussaka, Dishes Well-attested Source Moussaka (Wikipedia)tier 2Piyaz, Dishes Well-attested Source Piyaz (Wikipedia)Syrian Cuisine, Cuisines Well-attested Source Syrian Cuisine (Wikipedia)Tabbouleh, Dishes Well-attested Taktouka, Dishes Well-attested Source Taktouka (Wikipedia)Tirokafteri, Dishes Well-attested Source Tirokafteri (Wikipedia)Turkish Cuisine, Cuisines Well-attested Open QuestionsIn what specific century or decade did the mezze custom of serving small dishes with drink begin?, Open Questions Well-attested Source Mezze (Wikipedia)tier 2In the Other AtlasesOriginated InThe LevantAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidsontier 1Sources1. The Oxford Companion to Foodtier 1Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014Mezze entry, Persian etymology sentenceQuote, Mezze entry, Persian etymology sentenceAn interesting word which came originally from the Persian maza, meaning 'taste, relish'.Appetizer (Encyclopaedia Britannica)Encyclopaedia Britannicaarticle body, appetizer-traditions paragraphQuote, article body, appetizer-traditions paragraphThe Scandinavian smorgasbord, Spanish tapas, Greek meze, Egyptian mazza, and Russian zakuska are all elaborate appetizer displays offering many dishes, with traditional beverage counterpoints, e.g., vodka or sherry.View the SourceMezze (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaEtymology and origins section, Ayla Algar sentenceAyla Algar locates the possible the origins of the word in ancient Persia, where, before nuts and roasted meat were added to the spread, meze may originally have consisted of fruits such as pomegranates, quinces, and citrons to counterbalance the bitterness of unripe wine.Etymology and origins section, Byzantine-origin sentenceThe custom of serving small dishes with alcohol dates back to medieval times. The meze tradition began in the Byzantine Empire and developed in Ottoman Greek houses and tavernes.View the SourceMoussaka (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaExpressed By: Moussaka, Article bodyQuote, Expressed By: Moussaka, Article bodyIt may be served cold as a mezze dish, or hot.View the SourceFul Medames (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaExpressed By: Ful Medames, Article bodyQuote, Expressed By: Ful Medames, Article bodyis an Arab breakfast mezze favoriteView the SourceWikipedia: ManakishExpressed By: Manakish, Article bodyQuote, Expressed By: Manakish, Article bodyIt is also served as part of a mezze, or as a snack with a glass of mint tea and feta cheese on the side.View the SourceWikipedia, BissaraExpressed By: Bissara, Article bodyQuote, Expressed By: Bissara, Article bodyIn Egypt, bissara is eaten exclusively as a dip for bread, and is served for breakfast, as a meze, or more rarely, for lunch or dinner.View the SourceBalila (dish) (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Balila, Lead sectionQuote, Expressed By: Balila, Lead sectionIt is served as a hot mezze dish.View the SourceTaktouka (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Taktouka, Article bodyQuote, Expressed By: Taktouka, Article bodyIt is prepared in a form of a mezze, together with other dishes.View the SourceBaba Ghanoush (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaExpressed By: Baba Ghanoush, LeadQuote, Expressed By: Baba Ghanoush, LeadIt is a typical meze (starter) of the regional cuisineView the SourceIraqi Cuisine (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Iraqi Cuisine, HistoryQuote, Expressed By: Iraqi Cuisine, HistoryMezza is a selection of appetizers or small dishes often served with a beverageView the SourceBouyiourdi (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Bouyiourdi, lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Bouyiourdi, lead paragraphBouyiourdi (Greek: Μπουγιουρντί) or bouyourdi is a Greek meze.View the SourcePiyaz (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Piyaz, lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Piyaz, lead paragraphPiyaz (Turkish: piyaz, Persian: پیاز, Kurdish: pivaz, piyaz for "onion" or salad) is a bean salad or meze in Turkish cuisine and Persian cuisine that is made from any kind of boiled beans with raw onion, parsley and sumac.View the SourceTirokafteri (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Tirokafteri, lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Tirokafteri, lead paragraphIt is commonly eaten as part of a mezze platter, or by itself, with slices of warm pita bread.View the SourceGigantes plaki (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Gigantes plaki, lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Gigantes plaki, lead paragraphGigantes plaki may be served as a main dish or as a meze.View the SourceSyrian Cuisine (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Syrian Cuisine, Wikipedia article textQuote, Expressed By: Syrian Cuisine, Wikipedia article textSelections of appetizers known as mezze are customarily served along with Arabic bread before the Syrian meal's main course, which is followed by coffee, with sweet confections or fruits at will.View the SourceGogges (Wikipedia)Expressed By: Gogges, Lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Gogges, Lead paragraphFor Tiriní, they are served as a snack or meze with oil and mizithra, though at other times of the year, they are served as a main dish.View the SourceOpen Questions (1 open question)In what specific century or decade did the mezze custom of serving small dishes with drink begin?Wikipedia's own history section places the origin only as "medieval times," specifically crediting Byzantine Greek and later Ottoman Greek households and tavernes, with no century or decade named. The word meze itself is traced further back, to Ancient Persia, but that is an etymology claim about the WORD, not a dated claim about when the small-dish PRACTICE began; the two should not be conflated into one number.What would resolve this A dated primary source, a household account, monastic record, market regulation or archaeological find, that places the small-dish-with-drink custom in a specific century within the broad medieval Byzantine window, rather than the general "medieval times" description current secondary sources give.Culinary and social historyMezze (Wikipedia)Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)Origin RegionDoğan (2025) locates meze's origin in the Byzantine Empire, developed further in Ottoman Greek houses and taverns, a distinct account from Ayla Algar's placement of the dish and word's roots in ancient Persia already on record for this entity's origin-region fact.A dissenting reading, from Murat Doğan (Discover Food, 2025)Mezze (Wikipedia), WikipediaComments (0)No comments yet. 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