Baba ghanoush (, ;"baba ghanouj"
(US) and ), also spelled baba ganoush or baba ghanouj, is a Levantine appetizer consisting of finely chopped roasted eggplant, olive oil,

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

, various

seasonings Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, salts, and/or sugar, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Ho ...

, and tahini. The eggplant is traditionally

baked Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...

broiled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...

over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. It is a typical ''

meze Meze or mezza (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in the Levantine cuisine, Levant, Turkish cuisine, Turkey, Greek cuisine, Greece, the Balkan cuisine, Balkans, the Caucasian cuisine, Caucasus and Iranian cuisine, Iran. It i ...

'' ('starter') of the regional cuisine, often served as a side to a main meal and as a dip for pita bread. A very similar dish is mutabbal ( ar, links=no, متبل lit. 'spiced'). Mutabbal is sometimes said to be a spicier version of baba ghanoush. Mutabbal consists of mashed roasted eggplants, tahini,

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, garlic, lemon and often yogurt.

Etymology

The ''bābā'' is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word that means 'father' and is also a

term of endearment A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their ch ...

, while ''ġannūj'' could be a personal name. The word combination is also interpreted as "father of

coquetry Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language. It is either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person or, if done playfully, for amusement. It ...

" or "indulged/pampered/flirtatious daddy" or "spoiled old daddy". It is not certain whether the word ''bābā'' refers to the eggplant, or to an actual person indulged by the dish.

Varieties

Eastern Arabian cuisine Eastern Arabian cuisine, also called Khaleeji cuisine ( ar, المطبخ الخليجي), is the traditional Arabic cuisine variant that is shared by the population in Eastern Arabia and areas around the Persian Gulf. Seafood is a very significan ...

versions of the dish vary slightly from those of the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

by spicing it with coriander and cumin; those versions might be minimally spiced and topped with thinly chopped parsley or coriander leaves. In

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, the dish is known as ''babaganuş'' or ''abugannuş''. While the ingredients vary from region to region, the essentials (eggplants, tahini, garlic, lemon) are generally the same. In

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

, 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. Food writer and historian

Gil Marks Gilbert Stanley Marks (May 30, 1952 – December 5, 2014) was an American food writer and historian noted for his reference and cookbooks on the subject of Jewish food. He was the founding editor of ''Kosher Gourmet'' magazine. He moved to Israel ...

writes in his book that: "Israelis learned to make baba ghanouj from the Arabs". An Israeli variant, ''salat ḥatzilim,'' is made with fried or grilled eggplants mixed with mayonnaise, salt, lemon and chopped fried onions.Levy, F. ''Feast from the Mideast'' (2003) p.41 It is usually topped with olive oil when served.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baba Ghanoush Appetizers Arab cuisine Assyrian cuisine Dips (food) Eggplant dishes Egyptian cuisine Iraqi cuisine Israeli cuisine Jordanian cuisine Lebanese cuisine Levantine cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine Palestinian cuisine Qatari cuisine Syrian cuisine Vegan cuisine Vegetable dishes

Etymology

Varieties

See also

References

Bibliography