On on on your journey through Turkey, you’ll find many delicious and nutritious meals. Mezes (appetizers) are some of the most commonly available dishes, found in meyhanes (traditional Turkish taverns), restaurants and cafes. Mezes are typically a mixture of small hot and cold dishes, intended to be shared between your table. Here are 5 top picks for the next time you’re looking at a menu.

Turkish Cuisine is all about taking simple ingredients and making the most of them. In this meze, broad beans are cooked, mashed and then formed into squares. Served with fresh diced onion, lemon, dill and a dash of olive oil, this dish is a classic, hearty meze.

Samphire is a sea vegetable, Turkey’s abundant coastline means samphire is available almost year-round. This is an excellent dish at any time of year but is particularly popular in the summer when the heat pushes most to the coast. The samphire is lightly cooked in garlic and then preserved in lemon juice and olive oil, allowing the natural flavors to come through.

Tomatoes and Turkey go hand in hand and nowhere is that more apparent than in the humble Ezme. Made by dicing tomatoes, peppers, chillies, onions, garlic and herbs then drizzling with lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and olive oil. This dish is often offered as a gift while you’re waiting for your food to be prepared, but the humble ezme shouldn’t be overlooked, it sure packs a punch when it comes to taste!

Of the many types of borek found throughout Turkey, Pacanga is the star. Thin pastry, wrapped around tasty cheese and pastirma (seasoned dried beef) and lightly fried. The outside is crunchy and flaky, while the inside is a happy melding of the flavourful beef and creamy melted cheese.

Icli Kofte is a handy snack on the go or a more substantial meze option. Ground meat is seared with onions, walnut and sometimes currants and then shaped into balls before being encased in a mixture of bulgur, potato and spices. The ball is then fried a golden brown. Icli koftes are deeply satisfying, with a crisp outer shell and juicy, flavourful meat filling.