Greek Meze Plates

These Greek Meze Plates will blow your guests away! These Greek appetizers are perfect for a summer bbq party, holiday gathering or a Greek party! A delicious spread to enjoy as appetizers or as party of a Greek Meze feast.

What is Greek Meze?

Meze (also called Mezze) are lots of small varieties of plates of dishes that are enjoyed like Tapas. These small dishes of Greek appetizers can be served as appetizers or as a huge Greek feast, as you can see in the video. There are many different varieties and ways to serve Meze, which varies from the Middle East, Mediterranean to the Balkans.

Some people prepare a Meze Platter as a fancy way to enjoy a different antipasto platter. You can make vegetarian meze, or add meats and seafood like we did, it's so versatile. Meze originates from the Turkish word meaning appetizer.

What's in a Greek Meze?

There are so many foods you can add to a Meze platter. While I'm focussing on Greek style dishes, there are also some Mediterranean dishes that complement very well. Everyone will love your Greek dinner party. Here are some ideas to inspire you!

Dips

• Taramasalata - Greek roe dip
• Tzatziki Dip - one of my faves
• Greek Fava - yellow split pea dip
• Yogurt Garlic Dip - garlic lovers rejoice
• Greek Eggplant Dip

Vegetables

• Greek Salad - Horiatiki
• Greek Green Beans
• Dolmas - stuffed vine leaves
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers

Pickled

• Artichoke Hearts
• Chargrilled Peppers
• Marinated Kalamata Olives
• Sun-dried Tomatoes

Cheeses

• Greek Feta in Brine
• Sheep or Goat Cheese
• Fried Greek Cheeses - Saganaki or Halloumi

Seafood and Chicken

• Marinated Anchovies
• Grilled Octopus
• Deep Fried Whitebait
• Fried Calamari
• Chicken Souvlaki skewers
• Mediterranean Pork Kabobs

Fruits

• Grapes
• Figs
• Apricots - fresh or dried

Nuts

• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Pistachios

Breads

• Pita Bread
• Sliced crusty loaf
• Flatbreads
• Spanakopita Triangles

Mediteranean Meze Ideas

• Maroulosalata - Greek Lettuce Salad
• Tabbouleh salad
• Hummus with Beets - not Greek but a great addition to Meze and looks cool
• Tahini
• Baba Ghanoush
• Pumpkin Hummus with real pumpkin
• Sliced sausages and meats
• Ajvar
• Sliced hard boiled eggs
• Grissini Sticks
• Lamb Koftas

Time Saving Meze Tips

You don't need to make this all from scratch, that would take too much time. Of course, homemade always tastes better, but this would take all day to prepare! My suggestion is to buy what you can, and prepare a few items.

Meze to Buy

• Dips
• Feta Cheese
• Dolmas
• Greek Beans
• Kalamata Olives
• Pita Breads - Flatbreads
• Marinated Anchovies
• Spanakopita Triangles - but homemade tastes better!

Meze to Make

• Chicken Souvlaki
• Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)
• Grilled Octopus
• Fried Saganaki
• Greek Cucumber Salad
• Tzatziki Dip - much tastier than store-bought

How to Serve Greek Feta

I love serving Feta the Greek way! You don't need to cube it into small pieces and shove a toothpick into it, this tastes much better and looks fancier. Always buy Greek Feta (usually made with sheep's milk) that comes in a brine, authentic and delicious! Dodoni is the brand I recommend.

• Place Greek feta on a plate
• Drizzle Extra Virgin Greek Olive Oil over the feta
• Sprinkle with Greek oregano
• Surround the feta with Kalamata Olives

How to Assemble Greek Mezze

You could make a Meze Platter by assembling the ingredients on a wooden board. However, I like the more traditional way, lots of small plates on the table. How many plates? Well, that depends how big your table is and if you can cover the table with plates! You want variety, quantity and quality when making Greek Meze.

How to Warm Pita Bread

Pita Bread tastes best when served warm, and I'm assuming you're not baking it! Cut the Pita into 4 or 6 pieces and place in the air fryer for 2 minutes at 350°F/180°C. You can also warm in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350°F/180°C.

What Drinks to Serve with Greek Meze?

Greek Meze isn't a meal to have by yourself, but with your friends having a party. Traditionally it's served with Ouzo, which is a Greek Anise flavored Apertif. Basically it's Greek alcohol that tastes like liquorice. It's served with ice or with very cold water added to the Ouzo, and slowly sipped.

Also, because it's a Greek feast, I recommend trying a Greek wine. Nobody needs instructions on how to drink wine. Just enjoy in moderation.

Desserts with Meze

Desserts aren't usually a feature to be served with Meze, but seeing as this is a Meze Feast I couldn't help myself. Of course, there are the usual Greek desserts like Baklava or Galaktoboureko (my fave) or a million other Greek desserts to choose.

However, I like make Honey Roasted Figs and serve them over ice-cream. The honey and butter caramelizes the figs, and they taste amazing with vanilla ice cream. If you have room for dessert, give this a try!

More Greek Recipes You'll Love

• Kleftiko - Roast Goat or Lamb
• Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
• Spanakopita Triangles
• Instant Pot Greek Lamb
• Mediteranean Lamb Patties

Whether you're looking for Greek Appetizers, or wanting to make a fancy Greek dinner party feast, these Greek Meze recipes will knock it out of the park of you! Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

©PetersFoodAdventures.com