Kalliopi's KitchenYIAYIA'S GREEK FOOD RECIPES

Vegetables

Aubergine

Μελιτζάνα · Melitzana

Fresh aubergines, a central vegetable in Greek cooking

Aubergine arrived in Greece through Byzantine and later Ottoman contact with Persian and Arab cooking, where the vegetable had already been in use for far longer, and it settled into Greek cooking so thoroughly that it now anchors some of the cuisine's best known dishes: moussaka's base layer, melitzanosalata's smoky puree, and countless fried, baked and stuffed preparations besides.

Salting sliced or diced aubergine and leaving it to drain for twenty minutes to an hour before cooking is a genuinely old technique, developed originally to draw out the bitterness that older aubergine varieties carried. Modern varieties are bred to be far less bitter than they once were, but salting still serves a real purpose: it draws out excess water, which means the flesh fries and roasts rather than steams, and it firms the texture so the vegetable holds its shape.

For melitzanosalata specifically, charring the whole aubergine directly over a flame or under a hot grill until the skin blackens and blisters, rather than simply roasting it whole in the oven, is what gives the dip its genuinely smoky character. That step is not optional if the dip is meant to taste like the version served in a proper taverna.

Photo: Solanum melongena 24 08 2012 (1).JPG by Joydeep, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Recipes with aubergine

17 recipes on the site using it.

A tray of Greek moussaka with a browned bechamel top, one square lifted out Greek Main CoursesGreek Moussaka Μουσακάς · 1h 55m · serves 8 Greek Dips and SaucesMelitzanosalata Μελιτζανοσαλάτα · 45m · serves 6 A tray of collapsed roasted Greek vegetables, browned at the edges and glossy with olive oil Greek Main CoursesBriam Μπριάμ · 2h · serves 6 Greek Main CoursesPapoutsakia Παπουτσάκια · 1h 30m · serves 6 Golden fried Greek aubergine slices with tzatziki Greek Side DishesMelitzanes Tiganites Μελιτζάνες τηγανητές · 45m · serves 4 Greek melitzanes imam baked aubergine with onion and tomato Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes Imam Μελιτζάνες ιμάμ · 1h 20m · serves 4 Greek melitzanes me feta baked aubergine with tomato and melted feta Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes me Feta Μελιτζάνες με φέτα · 1h 5m · serves 4 Fried aubergine slices topped with garlic yogurt and paprika butter Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes se Saltsa Giaourtiou Μελιτζάνες σε σάλτσα γιαουρτιού · 55m · serves 4 Vegan Greek melitzanes gemistes stuffed aubergine halves Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes Gemistes Μελιτζάνες γεμιστές · 1h 40m · serves 6 Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes Souvlaki Σουβλάκι μελιτζάνας · 37m · serves 4 A slice of Greek melitzanopita aubergine and feta phyllo pie Greek Breads and PiesMelitzanopita Μελιτζανόπιτα · 1h 35m · serves 8 A pot of Greek melitzanes yahni aubergine and tomato stew Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes Yahni Μελιτζάνες γιαχνί · 1h 10m · serves 4 Greek Dips and SaucesMelitzanes Tursi Μελιτζάνες τουρσί · 45m · serves 12 Aubergine-wrapped Greek dolmades in tomato sauce Greek Main CoursesMelitzanes Ntolmades Ντολμάδες με μελιτζάνα · 1h 30m · serves 6 A bowl of smoky Greek melitzanosalata dip with charred aubergine skin nearby Greek Dips and SaucesMelitzanosalata Kapnisti Μελιτζανοσαλάτα καπνιστή · 45m · serves 6 A jar of Greek melitzanaki glyko candied baby aubergine spoon sweet Greek DessertsMelitzanaki Glyko Μελιτζανάκι γλυκό · 2h 15m · serves 16 Greek SoupsMelitzanosoupa Μελιτζανόσουπα · 1h 5m · serves 4

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