In Alexandria, dinner is not served in successive courses in the French style, but the table is covered with small dishes — the mezédes — shared slowly over conversation: purées, fish, pickled items, accompanied by bread and washed down with ouzo or wine. The meal stretches on, blending Greek, Levantine, and Egyptian flavors, mirroring the cosmopolitan city. Sweetness and coffee conclude this long moment of sociability.

The emulsion of olive oil and lemon juice, whisked and drizzled over vegetables, fish, and purées, is the signature of the Greek diaspora's taste: a tangy freshness that binds the entire mezze. In Alexandria, Mediterranean oil and Egyptian lemons met in this simple gesture.