Baba ghanoush

Baba ghanoush

Course	Appetizer
Place of origin	Levant (Lebanon)
Region or state	Armenia, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria
Main ingredients	Eggplant, olive oil
Cookbook: Baba ghanoush  Media: Baba ghanoush

Baba ghanoush (Arabic: بابا غنوج‎‎ bābā ghannūj, also appears as baba ganush, baba ghanouj or baba ghanoug^[1]) is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant mixed with tahina, olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means "pampered papa" or "coy daddy", perhaps with reference to a member of a royal harem.^[2]

The traditional preparation method is for the eggplant to be baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.^[3] It is a typical meze (starter), often eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is popular in the Levant (area covering Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Syria) as well as in Egypt, Kurdistan and Armenia.

Mutabbal

Mutabbal and pita bread
Course	Appetizer
Place of origin	Middle East
Main ingredients	Eggplant, olive oil
Cookbook: Mutabbal  Media: Mutabbal

Varieties

A variety of this dish is commonly known as patlıcan salatası ("eggplant salad") in Turkey.^[4] It is typically made with mashed eggplants, although varieties with cut eggplants can be found in southern Turkey(Kurdish region). In regions with Arab-speaking populations it is also known as abugannuş or abugannuc.

In Israel, it is also known as salat ḥatzilim although a variation with that name made with mayonnaise instead of tahina is also widely available.^[5]

See also

• List of dips
• Eggplant salads and appetizers
• List of eggplant dishes
• List of hors d'oeuvre

References

1. Egyptian Cuisine and Recipes
2. Oxford English Dictionary
3. Khayat, Marie Karam; Keatinge, Margaret Clark. Food from the Arab World, Khayats, Beirut, Lebanon.
4. Nicolas Trépanier (30 November 2014). Foodways and Daily Life in Medieval Anatolia: A New Social History. University of Texas Press. pp. 129–. ISBN 978-0-292-75929-9.
5. Levy, F. Feast from the Mideast (2003) p.41.

Bibliography

• David, Elizabeth (1950). A Book of Mediterranean Food. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-49153-X.
• Levy, F. (2003). Feast from the Mideast. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-009361-7.
• Trépanier, Nicolas (30 November 2014). Foodways and Daily Life in Medieval Anatolia: A New Social History. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-75929-9.