The word “meze” refers to a selection of cold and hot appetizers served in the Middle East, the Balkans and parts of Central Asia. While meze was part of all the cuisines in the Ottoman Empire, the word does not originate from one of the languages used in the Empire — Turkish, Arabic or even Greek — but has its roots in the neighboring Persian Empire. The Persian word “maze” means “taste or snack,” and “mazidan” means “to taste."

It is not known exactly how mezes spread across the region or where the first meze was served, but it is a shared cultural heritage that can be traced back to different countries. Mezes often complement the consumption of alcoholic drinks, such as the popular anise-flavored drink known as raki, rakia, arak, ouzo, tsipouro or mastika, depending on the country where it is served. Cold and hot mezes are served as a starter or as a full meal.

In mid-September, the first international Meze Festival of Turkey took place in the southwestern city of Antalya, bringing together around 50 cooks and 25 restaurants from Turkey, Greece and Lebanon to display the large number of mezes served in the region.

The Barut family, which runs the Akra Barut Hotels, organized the festival in order to put Antalya on the culinary map and show how gastronomy can bring together neighboring countries. Antalya, whose historic city center, Kaleici, is on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage List, has a rich history of agriculture. The city, an important port since Roman times, has been the intersection of many cultures and a point of exchange, through its port, for different foodstuffs.