Turquazz Article: Pairing Turkish Wine & Meze
One of Turkey’s most popular culinary traditions is that of rakı balık. Literally translated as rakı fish, this is the great tradition that comes from the Turkish meyhane, or tavern. Rakı is a grape spirit-based, anise-infused liquor similar to Greece’s ouzo and Lebanon’s arak. In Turkey, this drink, served over ice and diluted with water, accompanies traditional fish and small bite meze. While a modern tradition, and no offense to those who love the rakı balık, the heavy anise flavor of rakı doesn’t really go with a lot of foods. It’s time to make room on the meze table for wine.
In my last article, Pairing Turkish Wines with Herbs and Spices, I mentioned that there is a terrible rumor floating around which claims that Turkish wine does not pair well with food. Not only is this massively untrue, I listed a few dishes that do pair well. This time, I’m going a step further and combining my assertion that Turkish wines pair well with food and that it deserves a place with the meze.
The below list is by no means an exhaustive list of the small dishes and meze to be found in Turkish cuisine! I’ve tried to stick with those most often found on menus but am guilty of making sure my own personal favorites made the list.
Click to Read More of my piece on Turquazz!