Appetizer

This classic Greek dish consists of squid rings and tentacles that are seasoned, dredged in flour, and fried until crispy and golden brown. Fried calamari is a restaurant staple, typically enjoyed as an appetizer or a meze dish. It is usually complemented by lemon wedges and garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

Kalamarakia tiganita

Rings of squid dredged in flour or dipped in a light batter, fried for a minute or two in hot oil and served with lemon and a bowl of tarator, the Turkish sauce of walnuts, garlic, bread and vinegar: kalamar tava is the fried squid of the Aegean and Marmara meyhane, ordered as a hot meze between the cold plates and the fish. It is on every seaside menu from Çanakkale to Bodrum and in every Istanbul fish restaurant along the Bosphorus, and it is the dish by which regulars judge whether a kitchen can fry at all. The squid is the local kalamar, caught in the Marmara and the Aegean in autumn and winter, and the frying is quick and unadorned; the Greek kalamarakia and the Italian calamari fritti are the same idea with different sauces. Tarator is what makes it Turkish.

Fresh squid is cleaned, the body cut into rings a centimetre wide and the tentacles left whole, then dried thoroughly, because water in the pan is what turns a crisp coating into a steamed one. Many meyhane soak the rings for an hour in milk or in sparkling water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to tenderise them. The coating is either a plain dredge in seasoned flour, sometimes cut with cornflour or semolina for crunch, or a thin batter of flour and cold beer or soda water. The oil is sunflower, deep and hot, around 180°C, and the rings go in a handful at a time for ninety seconds to two minutes, until pale gold; squid toughens past that point and turns rubbery. They are drained on paper, salted at once and sent out immediately with lemon wedges, and the tarator comes alongside, made with walnuts pounded with garlic, stale bread soaked and squeezed, vinegar or lemon and olive oil.

Judge the squid first: it should be tender enough to bite through cleanly, with a faint sweetness, and the rings should still have a little bounce. Rubbery rings mean old squid or too long in the oil; a soft, mealy texture means frozen squid that has been thawed badly. The coating should be thin, crisp and clinging, not a thick batter jacket with a gap of steam under it, and there should be no pool of oil on the plate. Mark down pale, greasy rings from oil that was too cool, a crust that slides off in a sheet, rings cut so thick they stay chewy, and a plate that has waited under a heat lamp. Tarator should be thick, garlicky and tasting of walnut, not a mayonnaise-like garlic dip, and the lemon should be fresh. Frozen pre-breaded rings from a bag are a different and lesser product, usually betrayed by perfectly uniform size.

Kalamar tava

Greece

Hailing from the Greek island of Crete, kalitsounia or skalotsounia is a traditional, small-sized snack that comes in numerous different shapes and can be both savory and sweet. In its most traditional form, it combines an unleavened pastry and a filling that consists of fresh cow's milk cheese called mizithra. Sweet varieties enrich the cheese with cinnamon and lemon zest, while the savory versions occasionally employ spinach. Though it is traditionally associated with Easter, nowadays it is enjoyed all year-round.

Kalitsounia

India

Kalmi kebab is a traditional dish influenced by Mughlai cuisine, and it&rsquo;s especially popular in Punjab. The dish is made with chicken drumsticks that are marinated and shallow-fried on high heat in a pan until deep golden in color. The meat can also be prepared in a tandoor oven. The marinade is usually made with a combination of dahi, cream, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric powder, cashews, jeera powder, garam masala, red chili powder, and black pepper. Once done, kalmi kebab is often served as an appetizer with pickled onions, rice, or chutneys on the side.

Kalmi kebab

This flavorful Iranian appetizer combines grilled or oven-roasted eggplants and kashk&mdash;a fermented by-product typically made with yogurt whey. The main ingredients are mashed until creamy, with the addition of saut&eacute;ed onions, garlic, various spices such as turmeric or mint, and occasionally ground nuts. The dish is garnished with chopped walnuts, mint, and caramelized onions, as well as a small amount of kashk. Kashke bademjan is enjoyed as an appetizer, a dip, or occasionally the main course, and is best served with warm lavash bread on the side.

Kashke bademjan

Croatia

Ka&scaron;njaki is a traditional dish originating from the Podravina area. The dish is usually made with a combination of flour, salt, buckwheat, pumpkin seed oil, salt, and pumpkin seeds. The dough is made with a combination of flour, salt, and lukewarm water. Once made, it is rolled into large sheets that are stuffed with a combination of buckwheat, salt, pumpkin seed oil, and ground pumpkin seeds (žufa). Once assembled, ka&scaron;njaki are placed into a rectangular baking tin and baked until golden. The dish is typically served as an appetizer, and the filling can be enriched with onions and mushrooms if desired, but in that case the filling is no longer traditional.

Kašnjaki

Bulgaria

Katino Meze, often simply referred to as 'The Katina' in local Aegean taverns and meyhanes, is a warm appetizer with a story rooted in the multicultural history of the region. Believed to be named after Madam Katina, a legendary tavern keeper of Greek descent who operated in Istanbul or Izmir (legends vary), this dish represents the harmonious blend of Greek and Turkish meze cultures. It is a hearty, savory dish that sits somewhere between a stew and a heavy sauce, designed specifically to be mopped up with generous chunks of bread.

The dish typically consists of thinly sliced strips of beef or liver, sautéed rapidly with julienned colorful peppers, onions, and mushrooms. The magic happens with the sauce: different establishments have their own secret variations, but it generally involves a combination of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, and sometimes melted cheese (kaşar) on top, served sizzling in a clay pot (güveç). The combination of the savory meat, the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the rich, creamy sauce makes it an incredibly popular choice for rakı tables.

Katino Meze is an example of 'ara sıcak' (intermediate warm course), served after cold starters but before the main course. It is communal, meant to be shared directly from the clay pot. The flavor profile is intense and umami-rich, a departure from the more traditional olive-oil-based mezes, showcasing a more modern, cosmopolitan influence on tavern cuisine.

While not as ancient as hummus or kokoreç, Katino Meze has carved out a permanent niche in the repertoire of modern Turkish meyhanes, beloved for its comforting richness and its ability to pair perfectly with anise-flavored spirits like rakı or ouzo.

Katino meze

Katori chaat or tokri chaat is a traditional dish. It consists of small or medium-sized baskets that are made from grated fried potatoes. Once shaped and prepared, the baskets are filled with various chaat (Indian snacks) ingredients such as curd, potatoes, chickpeas, or chutneys. There are many variations on katori chaat so it can also be filled with sprouts, onions, or tomatoes. Although most baskests for katori chaat are fried, they can also be baked, and the dish is sometimes garnished with coriander leaves before serving. These baskets can be found throughout the country at street food stalls.

Katori chaat

Katuk is a traditional specialty that is made by combining mashed cheese and plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt) or strained sour milk with oil, garlic, salt, herbs, and spices. The dish can be prepared with different types of cheese such as sirene (a crumbly white brine cheese) or feta cheese, while typical spices and herbs used to flavor it include smoked or regular paprika, black pepper, and freshly minced dill or parsley. Some versions call for the addition of roasted red peppers and walnuts to the combination, while others propose enhancing the dish with cucumbers or pickles. Katuk is a versatile dish that may be enjoyed as a spread that's slathered on sandwiches, as a refreshing dip for chips, crackers, or vegetables, or as a meze dish alongside a glass of rakija. It can also be used as a topping for crostini (small slices of toasted bread) or as a dressing for pasta salads.

Katuk

Australia

Kaukau is a Papuan term that generally refers to a variety of sweet potatoes. The most popular dish made with these sweet potatoes is prepared by baking them, removing the skin, then mashing the sweet potatoes with ingredients such as coconut milk, coconut oil, garlic, ginger, cheese, eggs, or cinnamon. The mashed combination is then typically placed back into the potato skins as a filling and baked again for a short while until the dish is ready for consumption.

Kaukau

Poland

Kawior po żydowsku, also known as Jewish caviar, is a Masovian specialty consisting of finely chopped and fried chicken or calf livers, onions, garlic, and hard-boiled eggs. Sometimes the caviar mixture is ground instead of chopped, and it is usually flavored with ground cumin. This common Polish snack is typically topped with chopped dill and used as a spread on Jewish matzah or a slice of sourdough rye bread. This specialty should not be accompanied by any dairy products as Jewish cuisine strictly prohibits combining milk with meat products. Just like any other Jewish dish that is in one way or another associated with a specific holiday or a special celebration, this one is traditionally reserved as an appetizer for Shabbat. In Poland, the dish is often a part of the holiday tables in many households. It is also commonly found on the menus of restaurants that serve dishes of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.

Kawior po żydowsku

Kawior z bakłażana is a Polish eggplant paste that is served as an appetizer, usually accompanied by vodka. It consists of finely chopped baked eggplants combined with fried onions, garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It is usually spread on slices of bread or buckwheat pancakes, served as an appetizer or a snack, but it can also be used as an accompaniment to meat and fish dishes. Eggplants were scarce in communist Poland, but nowadays this versatile vegetable is available in street markets across the country, typically near the end of summer. This garlicky dish is also a favorite appetizer in Russia and Ukraine, where it is called baklazhannaya ikra and kaviar z baklazhanyu, respectively.

Kawior z bakłażana

Flavorful, fluffy, and tender, keftedakia are Greek meatballs made from a combination of ground pork and beef, eggs, stale bread or breadcrumbs, and seasonings such as dill, pepper, parsley, and oregano. The mixture is shaped into small balls which are then fried in olive oil. Their round shape makes them ideal for popular Greek picnics where keftedakia are consumed as snacks, but the meatballs can also be consumed as appetizers or as a main course. It is recommended to top the meatballs with some butter and a squeeze of lemon juice for extra flavor.

Keftedakia

Kelaguen is a group of Chamorro dishes that are traditionally served either as a main course, an appetizer, or a side dish. Seafood, fish, or meat are typically marinated in a combination of lemon juice, salt, and hot peppers, which were introduced to the Marianas during the Spanish period. Chicken and fish kelaguen is often enriched with grated fresh coconut, and at Chamorro celebrations, kelaguen is served according to the ingredients used in it, so seafood is traditionally served after barbecued fish, while chicken kelaguen follows barbecued meat.

Kelaguen

Khandvi is a popular Gujarati snack made from a batter consisting of gram flour, dahi, turmeric, and ginger paste. The batter is cooked and rolled in small, bite-sized pieces. It is usually consumed as a snack or an appetizer, served either hot or cold. These flavorful snacks are often seasoned with other ingredients such as chutneys or grated cheese. It is recommended to garnish khandvi with coriander or coconut.

Khandvi

Ukraine

Kherson-style eggplants is a traditional dish originating from Kherson, a region with abundant eggplants. The dish is usually made with a combination of eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, lemon juice, sunflower oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. The vegetables are washed and peeled. The eggplants and bell peppers are cut in half and roasted in the oven, while the tomatoes are blanched and cut into cubes. The eggplants, bell peppers, and tomatoes are mixed with garlic, grated onions, lemon juice, oil, and seasonings. The mixture is stirred until smooth, and it's then typically served as an appetizer with bread or croutons.

Kherson-Style Eggplants

Kholodets is a traditional dish consisting of meat in gelatine. The name is derived from the Russian word kholod, meaning cold, referring to the fact that kholodets is always served cold. It is believed that the dish gained popularity during the 19th century, and it was mostly consumed by servants at the time. Kholodets is served as an appetizer, and it is recommended to pair it with a strong horseradish sauce, a bit of hot Russian mustard, and a glass of vodka.

Kholodets

Iran

Khoresht mast is a traditional dish hailing from Isfahan. Although it's often dubbed yogurt stew, khoresht mast is actually an unusual dessert that's often served as a side dish or an appetizer, made with a combination of sugar, rose water, yogurt, saffron, onions, egg yolks, turmeric, and crushed lamb neck meat. The combination is boiled and mixed thoroughly before the addition of walnuts, pistachios, or almonds. Once prepared, khoresht mast is cooled and topped with barberries before serving. In the past, it was served as a main dish in massive feasts that were held by kings.

Khoresht mast

Kibbeh is a unique mixture of soaked bulgur wheat and other ingredients, typically lamb meat, and it is also considered the national dish of Lebanon and Syria. Fragrantly spiced and eaten as a snack for casual or celebratory meals, Kibbeh can be raw, baked, fried, stuffed, or prepared in a vegetarian version, stuffed with potatoes, pumpkins, and tomatoes. It is typically served with mint leaves and drizzled with olive oil. The word kibbeh stems from an Arabic verb meaning to form into a ball or a circular shape. A fried variety of kibbeh, called kibbeh nabilseeyah is shaped into a ball, stuffed, then fried in oil. Raw kibbeh is called kibbeh nayyeh, where bulgur and meat are combined with spices and pure&eacute;d onions, kneaded together with some ice water, then placed into traditional flatbreads. Traditionally, locals used to kill animals on Sundays and feast days, so the raw meat was eaten immediately, and that's how kibbeh nayyeh came to be.

Kibbeh

Syria

Often compared to steak tartare, this popular Syrian delicacy incorporates raw lamb or beef, bulgur, finely chopped onions, and various spices such as cinnamon and allspice. Kibbeh nayyeh was traditionally prepared for special occasions when animals were killed, and the meat was minced and served on the same day. Today it is mainly enjoyed as a mezze dish, usually served doused in olive oil and accompanied by mint leaves and pita bread.