Eggplant salads and appetizers
Eggplant salads and appetizers are the salads and appetizers made primarily of eggplants (aubergines). There is variety of such dishes throughout the cuisines of different regions and countries of the world.
Varieties
Mediterranean/Middle East
Baba ghanoush (Arabic بابا غنوج bābā ġanūj) is a popular Levantine (Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian) dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with various seasonings. Frequently the eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.[1] Baba ghanoush is usually eaten as a dip with pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is usually of an earthy light brown color.
Similar to baba ganouj is another Levantine dish mutabbel (متبل), which also includes mashed cooked aubergines and tahini, and mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and anar seeds. Moutabel is sometimes said to be a spicier version of baba ghannouj.
In Armenia the dish is known as mutabal. The essential ingredients in Armenian mutabal are eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon, and onion; and most Armenians also add cumin.
In Turkey, the dish is commonly known as patlıcan salatası (eggplant salad), also prepared with grilled eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic; sometimes, tahini, chopped tomato and green pepper as well. More frequently, eggplant is mixed with yoghurt, olive oil and garlic. Patlıcan beğendi is a similar dish which is served hot with meat and it includes cheese, milk and flour.[2]
In Greece, melitzanosalata is made with olive oil and lemon juice.[3][4]
Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant relish made from chopped fried vegetables (mostly eggplants and peppers), seasoned with celery, olives and capers, in a sweet sour sauce. Today, caponata is typically used as a side dish or appetizer, but, since the 1700s, it has sometimes been used as a main course.
Eastern Europe
Eggplant salad, Salată de vinete or Vinetta is a both Hungarian and Romanian mashed eggplant salad made of grilled, peeled and finely chopped eggplants, sunflower oil and chopped onions. The eggplants are grilled until they are covered with black ash crust. The crust is cleaned of and the ramaining cooked eggplant is mashed with a blunt, thick wooden knife on a wooden platter. The eggplant mash is mixed in a bowl, stirring continuerly, with sunflower oil, chopped onions and salt. Crushed garlic and ground pepper may be added too. Instead of oil, mayonnaise can be used.
In Bulgaria a typical eggplant appetizer is kyopolou, it is made with roasted aubergines and red peppers.
In Russia and Ukraine, a category of similar dishes is known as baklazhannaya ikra (Russian: баклажанная икра, literally "eggplant pâté" (Note that "ikra" in this context means "puree", mashed "ragout" or "pâté" rather than the homonym "caviar") and some versions add chopped tomatoes to the basic recipe.[5] Another eggplant salad popular in Russia is called kh'e iz baklazhanov (Russian: хе из баклажанов, and it is probably influenced by Korean cuisine). Eggplant kh'e is based on julienned (instead of mashed) cooked aubergines and other vegetables, prepared with concentrated vinegar. After adding the vinegar, it is set aside for several hours to cure before eating.
Africa
In Ethiopia, the eggplant dish is more commonly known as blagadoush.
South Asia
In the central and eastern Indian states of Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal, as well as in neighboring Bangladesh a similar dish involves smoked eggplant, mashed with fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), chili peppers, onion, and mustard oil.[6] The dish has many names, depending on the local language (Hindi: baingan ka bharta, Bengali: বেগুন ভর্তা begun bhôrta, Marathi: wangyacha bharit). It is often eaten with flatbread (roti in Hindi), rice, and/or raita (a yogurt salad). In the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Tamils prepare a similar dish called kathrikai thayir kothsu, in which the eggplant is cooked and mashed and sautéed with mustard, red chilis, and sesame oil, after which curd is added to the mixture and dressed with coriander leaves.
In Afghanistan a traditional eggplant salad is called bonjan salad. It is usually eaten at room temperature (or cold) along with main dishes.
See also
References
- ^ Khayat, Marie Karam and Keatinge, Margaret Clark - Food from the Arab World, Khayats, Beirut, Lebanon
- ^ Algar, A.E., The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking Kegan Paul (1985) ISBN 0-7103-0334-3
- ^ M. Milona, Culinaria Greece Könemann (2004) ISBN 3-8331-1053-8
- ^ R. Salaman, The Complete Book of Greek Cooking Anness (2006) ISBN 0-681-18670-4
- ^ Russian Cooking (Foods of the World) - Time-Life Books (1969)
- ^ Jaffrey, M. - World of the East Vegetarian Cooking - Knopf (1983) ISBN 0-394-40271-5