The Arabic-style serving of many small shared dishes central to Lebanese meals is mezze. It is a communal dining format built around several small plates rather than one large entrée.
Lebanese mezze may include hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, fattoush, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, grilled meats, olives, cheeses, and seafood. Restaurants often bring dishes to the table in stages, allowing diners to share, scoop with bread, and combine different flavors throughout the meal.
The word is also spelled meze or mezé. It entered the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire through Turkish meze, which ultimately comes from the Persian word maze, meaning “taste” or “relish.” The custom of serving small dishes with drinks has roots reaching back to medieval times.
In Lebanon and other parts of the Levant, mezze can be an entire meal, not merely an appetizer course. This is why it is different from biryani, tagine, or pilaf: those names refer primarily to particular composed dishes, while mezze describes a shared spread or style of eating.