Mezze are small dishes meant to be shared—simple, flavorful foods that invite everyone to linger around the table a little longer. I especially love making them in summer, when tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplants and fresh herbs are at their best.
For me, these dishes are also a taste of home. Their flavors bring back memories of summers in Bulgaria, of sitting around the table with family and friends, talking, laughing, and enjoying simple but delicious food with a glass of cold wine or rakia. That feeling of sharing food and time together is really what mezze is all about.
Last week, I had the pleasure of sharing some of these favorite summer dishes in my Bulgarian Summer Mezze cooking class—and, just as mezze should be, we cooked, tasted, talked, and enjoyed them together around the table. Here are a few moments from our class—and some of the colorful summer dishes we made and enjoyed together.
Happy cooks with the abundace of summer flavors on the plate: zucchini with dill yoghurt sauce, kyopolu eggplant dip, katak yoghurt and feta dip, havuc tarator and peppers in tomato sauce
What participants are saying:
We enjoyed helping to make four different Bulgarian summer mezze dishes following Makayla’s orderly directions. I’m the kind of woman who likes putting on her apron and doing things in the kitchen. Chopping vegetables, frying them, seasoning the yoghurt dip and helping with the washing up. Yes, that apron is needed! It was fun, but the best bit was yet to come: the eating! Absolutely delicious sampling all these new tastes. Of course without Makayla’s thorough preparation and tireless organisation, we wouldn’t have managed, but we still had that feeling of satisfaction you get when you alone have made an excellent meal. Would I go again? Definitely! – Lily from Germany
とても熱い夏に合うお料理でした。その味は、わたしにとって昔旅した地中海にちかい国々の味を想い出されました。みんなとお料理をしたこと楽しく、先生の教え方はとてもわかりやすかったです。また参加したいです！ “This was a perfect menu for the very hot summer. The flavors reminded me of the countries near the Mediterranean that I traveled to many years ago. I really enjoyed cooking together with everyone, and the teacher’s instructions were very clear and easy to follow. I would love to join again!” – Takako from Japan
It was my first time experiencing Bulgarian cuisine. First of all, I enjoyed watching other ways of preparing food that gave me ideas for my own kitchen, for example, skinning and mincing tomatoes without boiling, and cooking zucchinis without them becoming oily and mushy. Then Makayla showed us how to make homemade yogurt which is used in many Bulgarian dishes. We prepared dishes with yogurt, peppers, olive oil, raw garlic, and feta cheese. There were so many unfamiliar, wonderful combinations of flavors in a healthy and delicious meal. I now have lots of ideas for a potluck lunch at a friend’s next month. – Margaret from the UK