Baba ghanoush

Baba ghanoush
Course Appetizer
Place of origin Levant
Associated national cuisine Armenia, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey
Main ingredients Eggplant, olive oil

Baba ghanoush[1] (Arabic: بابا غنوج‎ bābā ghannūj, also appears as baba ganoush[2] or baba ghanouj[3]) is a Levantine or Greater Syria dish of mashed cooked eggplant mixed with tahina (made from sesame seeds), olive oil, and various seasonings.[1][3]

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.[4] It is a typical meze (starter), often eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes.[3]

Etymology

The bābā is an Arabic word that means "father" and is also a term of endearment, while ghannūj could be a personal name.[2] The word combination is also interpreted as "father of coquetry" or "indulged/pampered daddy" or "spoiled old daddy".[3][5] It is not certain whether the word bābā refers to the eggplant or to an actual person indulged by this treat.[6]

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

Varieties

The Gulf version varies slightly from that of its home of origin by spicing it with coriander and cumin.The vegetarian dish is a must when serving it with mazza in the Gulf states , even so they say that any appetizer table at a feast or dinner is not complete without it. [7]

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.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Baba ghanoush". Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
  2. 1 2 "Baba ganoush". Oxfort English Dictionary.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gil Marks (2010). "Baba Ghanouj". Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  4. ↑ Khayat, Marie Karam; Keatinge, Margaret Clark. Food from the Arab World, Khayats, Beirut, Lebanon.
  5. ↑ Salloum, Habeeb (2012-02-28). The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905249.
  6. ↑ Marks, Gil (2010-11-17). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0544186311.
  7. ↑ Salloum, Habeeb (2012-02-28). The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905249.
  8. ↑ 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.
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