The appetising meze that accompany the national drink can provide a delicious spread. Tessa Hayward looks at the tradition of these dishes found in meyhane restaurants and offers four recipes
When I visit Istanbul one of the first places I return to is the small and hidden-away Rüstem Pasa Mosque, the interior of which is completely covered with lovely, brightly coloured 16th-century Iznik tiles. Each one of the tile panels shows various fruits and vegetables twisting in and out of each other in intricate and beautiful patterns. Leave the mosque and it is just a few steps down to the lively and amazing Spice Market: stalls of spices, stalls of nuts, stalls of dried fruit; some familiar and some unknown and of many different colours. A happy time can be spent smelling, tasting and shopping in this heady atmosphere.
The next stop is one of the good Turkish restaurants that abound in Istanbul to enjoy the ritual and raki and meze. The moment you are settled in and have ordered the traditional raki – or maybe cherry juice for those who dislike the flavour of aniseed – the waiter will appear with a basket of warm pide (pitta bread) and a large tray set with many small dishes each containing a different meze.
Aniseed-flavoured spirits are found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and from raki has sprung up the uniquely Turkish tradition of the meyhane or restaurant with a raki table.
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