The Evolution of the Meze

A Wall of" Little Plates"

Saturday evening, Dr. Legg asked me and a few other students if we'd be interested in eating dinner at a local restaurant he discovered in Limassol (Lemesos).  He said that, after looking at their menu, they had a wide selection of dishes that were reasonably priced from 6 - 12 euros.  For a dinner entree, that's a pretty great price, especially when it is local Cypriot cuisine.

This, however, was not exactly local Cypriot cuisine.

The Chandelier

When Chelsey, Jonathan, Kendra, Dr. Legg and I arrived at Little Plates (that's the name of the restaurant) we were asked if we had a reservation.  Naturally, we didn't think about that but they had an available table until 9 PM (it was 7:30 at the time).  Agreeing that we could definitely finish eating within an hour and a half, we decided to stay.  A gentleman, whom we assumed to either be the owner or manager, said that if we weren't finished eating by 9, they would be more than happy to move us upstairs to the lounge area.

Green Salad with kefalotiri cheese

This confused us.

So we sat down at the table and the gentleman talked to us for a little bit.  He informed us that we were about to experience a Meze.

Feta parcel with honey

I know I mentioned the Meze in an earlier post, but now is as good a time as any to explain in greater detail what I know of this traditional Cypriot meal.

A Meze typically consists of 20 to 30 courses that are served in smaller quantities so that everyone may get a taste of what Cypriot cuisine has to offer.  There are two main types of Meze: meat or fish.

Octopus

Each Meze will have several appetizer courses that include salad, cheese (most likely haloumi, as it is specifically Cypriot), and several dips for pita.  The crux of the meal though would probably be the meat or fish, depending on which you choose.  Rather than getting a single serving of meat/fish in a particular style, you are likely to wind up trying approximately a dozen different types of meat/fish.

Calamari and octopus

These dishes range from different types of meat (pork, chicken, beef, etc) or fish (salmon, tuna, halibut, etc.) to different ways of preparing the meat/fish.  Dessert is included, of course.  And it's the type of meal for which you spend all day starving so that you'll be hungry enough to finish all the courses.  Naturally, at the end however, you are still incomprehensibly full.

Potatoes

It's an event here in Cyprus.  Cypriots use the Meze as a time for bonding or celebration.  It's a chance to focus on family rather than what's on TV or what's happening in the world around us.  These meals can last for two hours, easily, because they take their time eating and talking.  Simply enjoying the company of their loved ones.

Mushrooms in commanderia

So, meanwhile, back at Little Plates....

The gentleman who seated us told us that we would be having a Meze (which none of us had mentally or physically prepared for).  But we quickly learned that this would be no ordinary Meze...

Lamb Shank

Roddy (whose real name is Herodotus) Damalis was born and raised in South Africa to parents of Cypriot heritage.  Around ten years ago, he and his parents relocated to Cyprus so that they might become acquainted with their own cultural history.  Roddy is the creator and chef of Little Plates (which is also called Piatakia) and he doesn't serve the traditional Cypriot Meze.

Meatball stuffed with Haloumi

All of his ingredients are typically Cypriot, but he uses his experiences (being South African, traveling to Thailand, etc.) to help fashion traditional Cypriot dishes into a new and unique culinary experience with unexpected tastes and textures while maintaining the overall structure of a Meze.  Only in this Meze, you pick which foods you want to be a part of the meal rather than having the surprise of not knowing what dish might come next.

Mushrooms. Yes, I actually ate one.

Looking at his menu, and unsure of how exactly this would play out, we asked Roddy if he would mind creating the Meze for us.  I really think this was probably the smartest option for two reasons: 1) Roddy probably picked his favorite dishes (or maybe just the most expensive ones) and 2) I tried foods that I would have otherwise avoided on the menu in any other situation.

Zargana

But since I am in a foreign country in an unfamiliar culture, I made my mind up that I would at least try any food that might be put in front of me.  Within reason, of course.

So here is a run down of our Meze.

First out was Sellino, which is fried celery leaves.  Yep, that's right, the leaves on a celery stalk, removed and fried. And it's actually quite tasty, but maybe that has something to do with being fried.

The three dips

Then we experienced three different dips: a spinach dip, a yogurt dip and a cream cheese dip with tomato marmalade.  Along with these dips came a green salad with kefolatiri cheese and fresh fruit as well as a Feta parcel, wrapped in a fried pastry and drizzled with honey.

Sellino, or Fried celery leaves

For our sides, we had mushrooms in commanderia, which is a local Cypriot wine, and something akin to new potatoes.

We were served the largest variety during the meat portion of the Meze than in any other part of the meal.  We tried octopus, which was actually pretty tasty!  I would probably compare it's texture and flavor to lobster, if anything.  Then there was calamari.  I strongly dislike fried calamari because it's too chewy (I have an issue with overly chewy things and certain textures), but this calamari was actually good because it seemed to be grilled and wasn't as chewy as when fried.

Along with the octopus and calamari, we tried meatballs that had haloumi cheese in the middle, a lamb shank with aubergine (I'm not really sure what that is, but it's tasty!), sesame chicken, duck (which I had never tried before; it wasn't as gamy as I expected) and zargana which is a Japanese fish that was cooked in red wine vinegar, roasted garlic and chili.

Duck

We tried three different kinds of dessert at Little Plates as well.  My favorite was the halouva (pronounced "hulva") which was similar to an ice cream with almonds and cinnamon.  It's actually a Turkish dessert, but is very common on the Greek side of Cyprus. There was also a dark chocolate  brownie with dark chocolate ice cream and a chili sauce, which was a surprisingly decadent taste.  Finally we tried a mixed berry sorbet that had blackberries and raspberries.  It was a very refreshing and light end to a very filling meal.

Filming B-Roll in Little Plates

Since Little Plates was such a unique restaurant with a different take on the traditional Cypriot Meze, we asked Roddy if he would mind us interviewing him for our documentary.  He happily agreed and graciously shared his take on food, which he calls the evolution of the Meze.

It was a delectably delicious experience that I truly believe was one of a kind.  Nowhere else in Cyprus will I have the opportunity to experience a Meze of this calibre and I am truly grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity while it was in front of me.