A Turkish dinner does not begin with the main course. Small plates arrive first, bread is torn, spoons travel around the table and the conversation warms up. On the rooftop of Deraliye Terrace, looking out over Sultanahmet, the evening follows exactly this rhythm: the view takes its place, and then the starters come down onto the table.

This guide introduces the cold and hot starters at Deraliye Terrace. What goes into each meze, how many people is each plate meant for, which options suit vegetarian guests, and what should you drink alongside them? Let us walk through the menu heading by heading.

The Culture of Starters at the Turkish Table

The word meze comes from Persian and means "taste" or "relish". At the Ottoman table its purpose was never to fill you up, but to extend the conversation and prepare the ground for the main course. That is why mezes are served in small bowls meant for sharing; everyone eats from the same plate and the table becomes common ground.

The menu at Deraliye Terrace preserves that tradition. The cold starters section includes Baba Ganoush, Mutabbal, Hot Paste, Muammara, Carrot Tarator, Leaf Wrap with Cherry, Lamb Neck with Thyme, the Local Cheese Plate and a Mixed Appetizer Plate for two. The hot starters run from stuffed dried eggplant all the way to seafood stew. If you are curious about the morning side of this sharing tradition, see our piece on the Ottoman canak yagmasi breakfast.

The Local Cheese Plate: A Map of Anatolian Cheeses

One of the most popular cold starters on the menu is the Local Cheese Plate. It brings together curd cheese, cheddar, aged cheddar, tulum, blue cheese, basket cheese, goat cheese and kolot cheese on a single plate, with walnuts, dried figs and dried apricots alongside.

The plate is a good opportunity to see the diversity of Anatolian cheese in one serving. Tulum is matured in a skin or cloth casing around Erzincan and Izmir; kolot is a highland cheese of the Black Sea region; basket cheese takes its name from the wicker basket it drains in. It is frequently ordered as the first plate of the evening, alongside wine or raki. For readers who want the wider picture, our guide to the ten most used ingredients in Turkish cuisine fills in the background.

Baba Ganoush and Mutabbal: Two Faces of Roasted Eggplant

The menu offers two interpretations of roasted eggplant. Baba Ganoush is prepared without yoghurt: grilled aubergine is mashed with lemon juice and garlic. It is light, plain and suitable for vegetarian guests. Mutabbal takes the same roasted eggplant and adds tahini, strained yoghurt, garlic and lemon, producing a creamier and fuller texture.

Ordering both at once is a good way to see how far a single ingredient can travel in two directions. Roasting eggplant over an open flame is one of the most characteristic techniques in Turkish cooking: the skin is burned directly on the fire, the flesh softens and picks up a smoky aroma. Taken with bread, that smoky note sets the tone for the rest of the evening.

Muammara, Hot Paste and Carrot Tarator

Muammara is a regional meze made with walnuts, pepper paste, breadcrumbs and spices. Its sweet and spicy balance, together with the richness of the walnuts, makes it an excellent partner for bread. Hot Paste is prepared with red pepper, onion, garlic, cucumber, pepper paste, olive oil and spices, and is the classic companion to grilled meat.

Carrot Tarator is made with strained yoghurt, carrot, walnut, garlic and olive oil. Lightly cooking the grated carrot before folding it into the yoghurt gives the meze both a sweet background note and a soft texture. Ordered together, these three mezes also create a pleasing balance of colour on the table: brick red, orange and cream.

Leaf Wrap with Cherry and Lamb Neck with Thyme

The most distinctly Ottoman items in the cold starters section are these two. Leaf Wrap with Cherry is made by folding boiled rice, allspice, cinnamon, currants and pine nuts into vine leaves, finished with cherry grains on top. Using sweet and sour notes together is one of the clearest signatures of palace cuisine.

Lamb Neck with Thyme is boiled lamb neck blended with plum sauce and spices, served as three pieces. It is a rare option for guests who want meat in the starters section, and it leaves a strong impression on the palate before the main course arrives.

Hot Starters: Roasted Eggplant with Tulum Cheese

The most characteristic dish in the hot starters is Roasted Eggplant with Tulum Cheese. Grilled aubergine is filled with tulum and cheddar cheese and baked until the surface browns. The salt of the cheese meets the smoke of the eggplant, producing a warm and satisfying plate that is easy to share.

The same section also offers Stuffed Dried Eggplant: dried aubergine filled with fatty ground beef, pepper paste and rosemary, served with warm yoghurt. Drying eggplant for storage comes straight out of the Anatolian tradition of preparing for winter, and the menu lets you follow that thread. Vegetarian guests will also find Breaded Halloumi Fries and French Fries with Smoked Circassian and Grated Parmesan in the hot starters.

Seafood Starters

These are the plates that suit the sea view best. Seafood Stew is made by cooking shrimp, squid, mussels and octopus with fresh vegetables, butter and cheddar cheese in an earthenware pot. Shrimp Stew is the simpler alternative: shrimp, butter, garlic and shallot.

Alongside them the menu lists Fried Calamari, seasonal Crispy Anchovy, Grilled Octopus with Eggplant Puree and Pistachio Stuffed Meatballs. Seafood starters make a natural opening for tables planning to continue with a fish main course.

How to Order the Mixed Appetizer Plate

For guests who cannot decide between individual mezes, the Mixed Appetizer Plate is the practical answer. Prepared for two people, it contains a minimum of five kinds of fresh appetizer, so you can taste several flavours at once.

At a large table, ordering two or three mixed plates is both quicker and better balanced than choosing item by item. When you are ready to move on to the main course, our guide to the meat menu at Deraliye Terrace will help you plan the next step.

What to Drink with Starters

The drink most associated with meze is raki, and the menu lists options such as Yeni Raki, Tekirdag Altin Seri and Beylerbeyi Gobek. A glass of white wine pairs particularly well with the seafood starters. On the non-alcoholic side, ayran, freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, homemade lemonade and sparkling water all work. To explore further, see our round-up of the ten most popular drinks in Turkey.

After the starters come the main course and dessert. The dessert section includes katmer, baklava, baked rice pudding, levzine and tiramisu with gum mastic; if you would like to know more, our sweet guide to Turkish desserts is the natural next read.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which starters are suitable for vegetarians? Baba ganoush, muammara, hot paste, carrot tarator, the local cheese plate, breaded halloumi fries and roasted eggplant with tulum cheese contain no meat.

How many people is the mixed appetizer plate for? It is prepared for two and contains at least five kinds of meze.

Do starters arrive before the main course? Yes. Mezes come to the table together and are shared; the main course is usually served once the starters are finished.

Can I come in the late afternoon just for mezes and a drink? The most popular hours on the terrace are around sunset; for details, see our article on golden hour dining in Sultanahmet.

Conclusion

Starters reveal the character of a restaurant faster than main courses do. The meze and hot starter sections at Deraliye Terrace stretch from two different readings of roasted eggplant to a map of Anatolian cheeses, from vine leaves with cherry to a seafood stew, leaving room for both first-time visitors to Turkish cuisine and guests who know meze culture well.

In the middle of Sultanahmet, on a rooftop facing Hagia Sophia, a few small shared plates set the tone for the whole evening. To reserve your table and browse the full menu, visit the reservation page of Deraliye Terrace.