Middle Eastern Meze Recipes
Meze are small dishes common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East
The meze-style spread—small plates, dips, and salads meant to be shared as an appetizer course or light meal—is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East and one of our favorite ways to eat.
Bread is the heart of a meze meal. Homemade pita is easy, and much better than most of what you can buy. It's great grilled with za'atar, a spice blend of wild thyme, tangy sumac, and toasted sesame seeds ubiquitous in the Middle East.
Dips are one of the main types of meze. Everyone is familiar with hummus. The creamy chickpea puree is a staple in the Middle East. We've got you covered with a recipe for a classic hummus, as well as versions topped with whole chickpeas and fried mushrooms. Other classic dips include baba ghannouj—made from mashed grilled eggplant—and labaneh—a tart yogurtlike cheese.
For hot meze, kebabs rule. Kafta kebabs are made of ground meat. Our Lebanese kafta are made of ground chuck and studded with sun-dried tomatoes and aleppo peppers. Our Persian ground meat and onion kebabs are similar, made with ground lamb and sirloin. Kebabs are also often made with chunks of meat, as in our pork or chicken kebabs.
Vegetables feature heavily in meze. No table is complete without tabbouleh—finely chopped fresh parsley and mint bathed in fruity extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, Also try fried artichokes and turnips marinated in yogurt.
Check out these dishes and more in our collection of Middle Eastern meze recipes!
This velvety dip is a classic—we like it garnished with pickles and served with plenty of toasted pita chips.
Across the Levant, eggplants are grilled and mashed to make baba ghannouj, a silky, delicious dip for flatbreads and vegetables. Get the recipe for Mashed Eggplant Dip (Baba Ghannouj) »
Thick, tart, and creamy, this yogurt-like cheese, is perfect eaten with olive oil, pita bread, and za’atar.
Charring young eggplant over an open flame lends a smoky flavor to this dish from the Galilee. Get the recipe for Charred Eggplant with Chile Sauce & Tahini »
Za’atar is a mixture of sesame seeds, dried thyme, and spices ubiquitous in the Arab world. Here it’s used to make a lemony dip for simmered artichokes.
This recipe for stuffed grape leaves uses both lemon juice and zest to enhance the flavor of the stuffing.
This chewy flatbread topped with za’atar, a spice blend of wild thyme, tangy sumac, and toasted sesame seeds, can be either grilled outdoors or oven-baked and finished in a grill pan.
At Abu Dhabi’s Al Arish restaurant, jumbo prawns are basted in a spicy-sweet ketchup-based sauce before they are grilled.
Generous spice, a good dose of olive oil, and chickpeas piled high are the hallmarks of this Galilean-style hummus.
A marinade of orange, cumin, and saffron flavors these juicy chicken and tomato kebabs. Get the recipe for Spiced Chicken and Tomato Kebabs (Jujeh Kabab) »
Finely chopped fresh parsley and mint are bathed in fruity extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice in this classic Middle Eastern appetizer.
Za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice mix of wild thyme, sumac, and toasted sesame seeds, tops chewy flatbread in this iconic Lebanese snack.
We found this recipe—a flavorful local favorite, in which tender artichoke bottoms are fried and served with an intense, tahini-based sauce—at al-Az, a casual but well-known restaurant in Damascus. Get the recipe for Fried Artichoke Hearts with Taratur Sauce »
These one-bite hors d’oeuvres are inspired by the ingredients of a classic Middle Eastern baba ganoush; they can be served either cool or hot out of the oven. Get the recipe for Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese Tahini and Pine Nuts »
The famously smoky Middle Eastern eggplant puree reaches new heights of smoothness with the inclusion of white chocolate, which compliments the nutty flavor of tahini and the delicate spice of fresh garlic and paprika. Get the recipe for White Chocolate Baba Ghannouj »
Any way you make it, there is nothing like falafel’s first bite: the crisp-fried exterior giving way to a creamy center of seasoned mashed beans, garlic, and parsley.
Redolent of oregano and cinnamon, these pork kebabs owe their tenderness to a red wine marinade. Get the recipe for Pork Kebabs with Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce »
Bake these Turkish spiced lamb and tomato flatbreads on a heated pizza stone in the oven so that the crust and topping cook evenly.
Gently browned cipollini onions add an unexpected hint of caramel sweetness to this hummus, deepening its earthy flavors.
These spiced croquettes are a classic Middle Eastern snack. Get the recipe for Lamb and Bulgur Wheat Croquettes (Kibbeh) »
Brightened with lemon and garlic, tahini becomes a bright, creamy dip—try it with warm pita, or sliced vegetables.
Keep Reading
Continue to Next Story
