İmam bayıldı

Imam Bayildi ( Turkish for " The imam was delighted / excited "; Greek Ιμάμ Μπαϊλντί Imam Baildi ) is a common in the Turkish and Greek vegetable dish of stuffed, stewed eggplant. According to legend, an imam ( prayer leader ) to have fallen if the very delicious taste in a swoon with delight when he tried it for the first time - hence the name of the recipe.

To prepare the eggplant length are four to six times after peeled from the stem forth in a width of about one centimeter, so that the eggplant striped look. They are then inserted to fill in salt water, so they do not brown. In the meantime, the filling, peeled, diced tomatoes, green mild, finely chopped peppers, chopped plain parsley, very finely chopped onions, garlic and various spices - the classical variant salt, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg and / or cinnamon and some sugar - made ​​. Some chefs give per eggplant, add a finely chopped anchovy fillets. Then the aubergines are blotted dry and after Louvered, filled to a peeled spot of length and placed in a shallow roasting pan. After being doused with a mixture of hot broth and olive oil, they are cooked over medium heat in about 45 minutes in the oven.

Can be hot Bayildi İmam served cold as an appetizer with rice and other side dishes or.

Similarly, another Turkish dish is prepared: Patlıcan Karnıyarık. The main difference is that the fill additionally contains minced meat. Like most ground meat dishes is Patlıcan Karnıyarık unlike İmam Bayildi in classical Turkish cuisine served just warm.