According to historian and culinary expert Marianna Yerasimos, these pans were made of waterproof limestone. Essentially plakion was used to describe pans or flat skillets. In author Takuhi Tovmasyan’s words, “It is the most irreplaceable mezze on any rakı table.” What is it that turns a braised vegetable dish made from quite common ingredients into one of the most iconic features of mezze culture? From Plakion to PilakiĪccording to the Nişanyan Dictionary, the word pilaki comes from the Greek plakion, which is a diminutive of ancient Greek plak, meaning pan or tray. Of all the mezzes that adorn a meyhane table, perhaps none is as universally liked as the barbunya (borlotti beans) pilaki.
