Meze "acılı ezme" (hot pepper paste often with walnuts), "haydari" (thick strained yogurt with herbs), "patlıcan salatası" (cold eggplant salad), "beyin salatası" (brain salad), "kalamar tava" (fried calamari or squid), midye dolma and "midye tava" (stuffed or fried mussels), enginar (artichokes), "cacık" (yogurt with cucumber and garlic), "pilaki" (foods cooked in a special sauce), "dolma" or "sarma" (rice-stuffed vine leaves or other stuffed vegetables, such as bell peppers), arnavut ciğeri (a liver dish, served cold), octopus salad, and "çiğ köfte" (raw meatballs with bulgur). In Greece, Cyprus and the Balkans, "mezé", "mezés", or "mezédhes" (plural) are small dishes, hot or cold,
Stuffed eggplant Stuffed eggplant Stuffed eggplants (, Iran: Karni Yarikh, , ) are a dish typical of many countries. Eggplants are stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice. In Turkey, this dish is called Patlican dolmasi. The ingredients include eggplant, minced meat, rice, onion, tomato paste, tomato, parsley, mint, salt, black pepper and sunflower oil. Optional ingredients include sumac, lemon juice, allspice, cinnamon, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, mint, and olive oil which may be added for a better taste. Eggplants are stuffed with meat (lamb or beef) and bulgur or rice but a bit distinctly than its neighbors because of a wider use