How to Assemble a Meze Platter
- by XpatAthens
- Friday, 20 February 2015
The Meze platter should offer a variety of foods, textures, colors, and flavors for people to nibble on as they enjoy wine or ouzo and the company of friends. As a general rule, ouzo and tsipouro go best with seafood meze platters, while wines are a better match for cured meats and cheeses.
Vegetables meze items, such as baked giant beans, eggplants preserved in olive oil, roasted red Florina peppers in brine, olives, capers, and the range of Greek spreads, from roasted eggplant to taramosalata (fish roe puree) and tzatziki (yogurt-garlic-cucumber), can pair up on either platter or can stand separately on their own.
Here are three basic ideas for meze platters:
For red wines: Greek yellow cheeses, such as aged kasseri, kasseri, graviera, kefalograviera, kefalotyri, smoked cheeses, herb-infused cheeses. Mild white cheeses such as manouri. Any of the cured meats that make up the Greek charcuterie tradition, including Lefkada salami, singlino Manis, and dried sausages. Roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted eggplant spreads, all go well on this platter. Kalamata olive puree, preferably on bread or crackers are a good match, too.
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By Diane Kochilas