Meze

Meze or mezze 'to taste',^[1][2][3] is the name for a number of small dishes or appetizers served before a meal, often with a drink. The food is common in the Eastern Mediterranean. Drinks include anise-flavored liqueurs, such as arak, ouzo, raki or different wines. These dishes are similar to the tapas of Spain or finger food.

A spread of meze in Jordan

In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region (especially in Azerbaijan and Georgia), these dishes are served as a part of any large-scale meal.^[4] Not accompanied by alcohol, meze is known in the Arab world as muqabbilat (Arabic for "starters").