Course
25 Greek Meze and Appetisers
Meze is not a starter course so much as a way of eating: many small plates, all arriving at once, meant to be picked at slowly over a long conversation.
Meze is not a first course. It is a way of eating: many small plates, all on the table at once, picked at slowly while people talk. Nothing is plated for one person and nothing arrives in order.
Most of it is fried, grilled or cured. Keftedes, saganaki, courgette fritters with feta, fried baby squid and whitebait come out of hot oil. Octopus, halloumi and manouri go on the grill.
Three or four plates make a table. Choose one fried thing, one from the grill and one that needs nothing done to it at the last minute, and put bread next to them.
Every recipe on Kalliopi's Kitchen carries the dish's Greek name and a pronunciation, its region where that is meaningful, ingredient quantities in both metric and imperial, and an honest note on what commonly goes wrong. Nutrition figures are calculated estimates and are labelled as such.
1. Keftedes
Κεφτέδες · kef-TEH-des
Lighter than most meatballs, and the bread does it: stale bread, wetted and wrung out, holds water inside where breadcrumbs would tighten the mix. They taste of mint and oregano, not garlic and parsley, which separates them from Italian polpette. More often a meze than a main, and good cold the next day.
Yiayia’s tip: Wet your hands to shape. Damp palms stop the mixture sticking and give a smoother surface that browns more evenly.
Make Keftedes2. Saganaki
Σαγανάκι · sah-ghah-NAH-kee
The name is the pan's, not the cheese's. A small two-handled frying pan is a sagani, and anything cooked in one is a saganaki, prawns and mussels included. The cheese must be firm and low in moisture, usually kefalotyri or graviera, or it runs into a puddle. Three minutes, then straight to the table.
Yiayia’s tip: Thick slices only. Under about 1.5 cm the cheese has melted through before the outside has coloured. Thickness is what buys you the contrast between crust and molten centre.
Make Saganaki3. Grilled Octopus
Htapodi sta karvouna · Χταπόδι στα κάρβουνα · htah-POH-thee stah KAR-voo-nah
Octopus on a line outside a taverna is the picture everyone knows, and the drying does help. What makes it tender is a long, gentle simmer in the liquid the octopus gives up, with no water added. The grill only finishes it, in about four minutes. Raw on the fire, it turns to rubber.
Yiayia’s tip: Frozen is better than fresh here. One of the few cases where this is true. Freezing does the tenderising work that would otherwise take beating or luck.
Make Grilled Octopus4. Grilled Halloumi
Halloumi · Χαλλούμι · hah-LOO-mee
Cypriot, protected, and made from sheep and goat milk. The curd is heated in whey before it is brined, which is why the cheese browns and softens on the heat and still keeps its shape. Mint belongs to it from the start: a dried sprig is folded in before the brine. Cook it last.
Yiayia’s tip: No oil, hot pan. Halloumi releases its own fat. Oil just makes it greasy and encourages it to spit.
Make Grilled Halloumi5. Dolmades
Ντολμάδες · dol-MAH-des
An hour of rolling and no way round it, which is why Greek families do it together at a table, talking. These are the rice and herb ones, served cold, called yialantzi. The word means liar, because they pass themselves off as the meat version. They belong on a meze table and keep for days.
Yiayia’s tip: Under-fill rather than over-fill. A teaspoon per leaf. The rice triples in volume and an over-filled dolma splits along the seam every time.
Make Dolmades6. Courgette Fritters with Feta
Kolokithokeftedes · Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες · ko-lo-kee-tho-kef-TEH-des
Every Greek island has its own version: grated courgette, feta and herbs, fried crisp and eaten hot with tzatziki and lemon. A courgette is over ninety percent water. The whole method is a fight against that, because water left in the mix means more flour, and more flour means a heavy fritter.
Yiayia’s tip: Squeeze twice. Once after the salting, then again just before mixing. Courgettes keep releasing water and the second squeeze always yields more.
Make Courgette Fritters with Feta7. Rhodes Chickpea and Tomato Fritters
Pitaroudia · Πιταρούδια · pee-tah-ROO-thee-ah
A Rhodes fritter that hardly leaves Rhodes. Ask for one on the mainland and expect a blank look. The chickpeas are crushed, not pureed, so the texture is coarse and nutty where falafel is smooth, with grated tomato, onion and plenty of mint. Cumin goes in too, because the Anatolian coast is close.
Yiayia’s tip: Never use tinned chickpeas. They are already cooked and far too wet. The dish depends on raw soaked chickpeas cooking through during the fry.
Make Rhodes Chickpea and Tomato Fritters8. Cypriot Bulgur Shells Stuffed with Meat
Koupes · Κούπες · KOO-pes
Cyprus sits between Greece, Turkey and the Levant, and here it shows. These are close relatives of Middle Eastern kibbeh: a thin bulgur and semolina shell around spiced minced meat, shaped into small torpedoes and fried. The shell has to be kneaded hard, like a dough. They freeze well, so cooks make a large batch.
Yiayia’s tip: Squeeze the bulgur properly. Excess water in the shell mixture makes it impossible to shape thin without tearing. Wring it out hard in a tea towel before kneading.
Make Cypriot Bulgur Shells Stuffed with Meat9. Fish Roe Dip
Taramosalata · Ταραμοσαλάτα · tah-rah-moh-sah-LAH-tah
The bright pink tub from the supermarket is dyed and tastes mainly of mayonnaise. The real one is pale, from beige to the softest pink. Tarama, the cured roe of cod or carp, is fiercely salty, so it is whipped with olive oil and bread or potato. No egg comes into it.
Yiayia’s tip: Squeeze the bread bone dry. Any leftover water thins the dip and stops it whipping up fluffy. Squeeze harder than feels necessary.
Make Fish Roe Dip10. Chickpea Fritters
Revithokeftedes · Ρεβιθοκεφτέδες · reh-vee-thoh-kef-TEH-thes
A keftes rebuilt around chickpeas, with onion, herbs and cumin, and no mere stand-in for the meat one. They belong most to the Cyclades, where chickpeas are an old staple crop, and to Lent on the mainland. Chickpeas hold more water than people expect, so the mixture must be dry. Chill the patties before frying.
Yiayia’s tip: Cook dried chickpeas until very soft. Well beyond salad tenderness. A proper long simmer softens them enough to mash easily without extra binders.
Make Chickpea Fritters11. Cretan Fried Snails
Hochlioi boubouristi · Χοχλιοί μπουμπουριστοί · hoh-hlee-EE boo-boo-ree-STEE
Snails are ordinary food on Crete, eaten in tavernas across the island, and this is the plainest, best known way with them. They go into hot olive oil alive and the heat pops them partly out of the shell, the boubourizoun of the name. Vinegar, salt and rosemary finish it, and the vinegar matters most.
Yiayia’s tip: Only use properly purged snails. This is a genuine food safety requirement, not a traditional flourish. Buy from a specialist supplier if you are not experienced in purging them yourself.
Make Cretan Fried Snails12. Corfu Smoked Cured Pork Fillet
Noumboulo · Νουμπούλο · noom-BOO-loh
Corfu's cured pork: a whole fillet rubbed with red wine, salt and spices, dried in the air and given a light smoking, usually over olive or oak. It sits nearer to Italian charcuterie than to mainland Greek curing, which leans towards sausages. It takes weeks. Slice it thin, more like a salami than a ham.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not under-salt the cure. The salt ratio is a genuine food safety matter, not just seasoning, since it is what protects the meat during the drying stage that follows.
Make Corfu Smoked Cured Pork Fillet13. Santorini Tomato Fritters
Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis · Ντοματοκεφτέδες Σαντορίνης · doh-mah-toh-kef-TEH-thes san-doh-REE-nees
Santorini's tomatoes grow in volcanic ash and get almost no rain or irrigation, so the fruit is small, sweet and concentrated. These fritters exist to show it off. There is barely any flour, only onion and mint, the traditional herb where other Greek fritters take parsley or dill. Do not press them as they fry.
Yiayia’s tip: Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find. There is very little else in this dish. A bland tomato gives a bland fritter.
Make Santorini Tomato Fritters14. Fried Baby Squid
Kalamarakia tiganita · Καλαμαράκια τηγανητά · kah-lah-mah-RAH-kyah tee-gah-nee-TAH
Squid can be cooked well two ways: for a minute or two, or for an hour or more. Anything in between turns it to rubber. Frying is the fast way, so sixty to ninety seconds in hot oil is enough. Few plates are ordered more at a Greek seaside taverna.
Yiayia’s tip: Flour it only right before frying. Squid releases moisture as it sits, and a coating applied too early turns gluey rather than staying light.
Make Fried Baby Squid15. Gavros Marinatos
Γαύρος μαρινάτος · GAHV-ros mah-ree-NAH-tos
No heat touches these anchovies. The fillets sit in vinegar until the flesh goes from translucent to opaque white, the same idea as ceviche, then get olive oil, garlic and parsley. Left in the vinegar too long they turn hard and harsh. A small, sharp plate for ouzo or cold white wine.
Yiayia’s tip: Freeze the fish before you cure it. Vinegar firms raw anchovies but it does not kill parasites. Seven days at -20C (-4F) or colder does. Thaw them in the fridge before you fillet and cure them.
Make Gavros Marinatos16. Cheese Triangle Pastries
Tiropitakia trigona · Τυροπιτάκια τρίγωνα · tee-roh-pee-TAH-kyah TREE-goh-nah
A full cheese pie scaled down for the party tray and the lunchbox, with the same feta and egg inside. The skill is the fold: a long strip of phyllo turned corner over corner into a triangle, like a paper flag. The first few take practice. They freeze raw and bake straight from frozen.
Yiayia’s tip: Keep unused phyllo covered. It dries out and cracks quickly once exposed to air. Work with a damp tea towel over the rest of the stack.
Make Cheese Triangle Pastries17. Fried Whitebait
Marides tiganites · Μαρίδες τηγανητές · mah-REE-thes tee-gah-nee-TES
Tiny fish, fried whole and eaten whole: head, tail and bones in one bite. Nothing to fillet, and nothing to clean beyond a rinse. The oil must be hot enough to crisp them in a couple of minutes, or they sit and drink it. Tavernas sell them constantly, with ouzo or cold white wine.
Yiayia’s tip: Dry the fish thoroughly before flouring. Any surface moisture stops the flour sticking properly and causes dangerous spitting in the hot oil.
Make Fried Whitebait18. Fried Smoked Cheese from Epirus
Saganaki Metsovone · Σαγανάκι μετσοβόνε · sah-gah-NAH-kee mets-oh-VOH-neh
Most saganaki is fried from whatever firm cheese is in the house. This one insists on Metsovone, the smoked cheese of Metsovo, a mountain town in Epirus, and frying concentrates both the smoke and the salt. The method is the usual one: flour, a hot pan, lemon at the end.
Yiayia’s tip: Watch the heat closely. The flour coating can burn quickly at the temperature this dish needs. Keep an eye on it rather than walking away.
Make Fried Smoked Cheese from Epirus19. Cured Spiced Beef from Asia Minor
Pastourmas · Παστουρμάς · pah-stoor-MAHS
Beef, not pork like lountza, louza, noumboulo or apaki. What defines it is cemen, a thick, pungent red paste of fenugreek, garlic and paprika, packed onto the meat once it has cured. It came from Asia Minor and Cappadocia with the refugee communities. Slice it very thin, because a thick slice is too much.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not skip the pressing stage. It gives pastourma its characteristic dense, compact texture and is genuinely part of what separates it from a simple cured beef.
Make Cured Spiced Beef from Asia Minor20. Baked Feta with Honey and Sesame
Feta psiti me meli · Φέτα ψητή με μέλι · FEH-tah psee-TEE meh meh-LEE
Warm feta without the frying. The cheese is in the oven only until it is warm and the edges give, with none of the hard crust of saganaki. Then come honey, toasted sesame and a little chilli: salt against sweet is the whole idea. It is a recent arrival on the taverna table.
Yiayia’s tip: Use a whole block, not pre-crumbled feta. This lets it hold its shape and soften at the edges rather than collapsing into a puddle in the oven.
Make Baked Feta with Honey and Sesame21. Stuffed Courgette Flowers
Kolokithoanthoi gemistoi · Κολοκυθοανθοί γεμιστοί · koh-loh-kee-thoh-an-THEE yeh-mee-STEE
Only possible in the short stretch of summer when courgette plants are in flower. Each flower is filled with rice, herbs and feta and steamed gently, nearer a small dolma than the crisp fried flowers some tavernas serve. Filling dozens by hand is fiddly work. Fill them loosely, because the rice swells.
Yiayia’s tip: Use the flowers as fresh as possible. They wilt within hours of picking, so plan to fill and cook them the same day you get them.
Make Stuffed Courgette Flowers22. Grilled Manouri Cheese with Honey
Manouri me meli · Μανούρι με μέλι · mah-NOO-ree meh MEH-lee
The cheese is the reason this works. Manouri, which comes mainly from Thessaly and Macedonia, is soft and mild, closer to a very firm ricotta than to feta or halloumi, and a saltier cheese would fight the honey. It gets a brief, hot sear, then honey and toasted sesame. Meze with drinks, or dessert.
Yiayia’s tip: Handle the cheese gently. Manouri is soft and can break apart if pushed around the pan too roughly. A wide spatula and a light touch keep the slices intact.
Make Grilled Manouri Cheese with Honey23. Mussels in Tomato and Feta Sauce
Mydia saganaki · Μύδια σαγανάκι · MEE-thyah sah-gah-NAH-kee
Saganaki here is a way of cooking, not the fried cheese: a fast tomato sauce with garlic, and feta melted in at the end. Prawns are the familiar version on taverna menus, and mussels take the same sauce without any change. They need only minutes in the pan, and longer turns them tough and rubbery.
Yiayia’s tip: Discard any mussels that do not open. A mussel that stays firmly shut after cooking was not alive before cooking and should not be eaten.
Make Mussels in Tomato and Feta Sauce24. Baked Feta with Tomato
Feta psiti me ntomata · Φέτα ψητή με ντομάτα · FEH-tah psee-TEE meh doh-MAH-tah
The savoury baked feta, not the one with honey and nuts. A block bakes with cherry tomatoes, oregano, garlic and chilli until the cheese is soft and the tomatoes have burst. It is a modern meze and needs almost no skill. It spreads best warm, a few minutes out of the oven.
Yiayia’s tip: Use a good amount of olive oil. It combines with the tomato juices as they blister to form the light sauce this dish depends on. Skimping leaves it drier than it should be.
Make Baked Feta with Tomato25. Corfu Fried Fish in Vinegar and Rosemary
Savoro · Σαβόρο · sah-VOH-roh
Corfu's answer to keeping a catch edible in August with no ice. The fish is fried, then covered in hot red wine vinegar with garlic, rosemary and currants. Saor, the Venetian word, gave it its name. The currants are there to sweeten the vinegar. Eat it cold, a day or two later.
Yiayia’s tip: Dry the fish before flouring. Any surface water turns the flour to paste and the fish steams instead of crisping. A crisp crust is what holds the fish together once the vinegar goes over.
Make Corfu Fried Fish in Vinegar and Rosemary
More Greek Meze and Appetisers
12 more, 37 in all.
Thessaloniki Baked Feta with PeppersBougiourdi ΜπουγιουρντίMeze and Appetisers · 35m · serves 4
LakerdaLakerda ΛακέρδαMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 10Get one proper Greek recipe a week
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