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Baba ghanoush

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baba ghanoush
Alternative namesBaba ganoush, baba ghanouj
CourseAppetizer
Place of originLevant[1]
Associated cuisineIraq, Armenia,[2] Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey
Main ingredientsEggplant, olive oil
Mutabbal
Mutabbal and pita bread
Alternative namesMoutabbal, m'tabbal
CourseAppetizer
Place of originLevant
Main ingredientsEggplant, olive oil

Baba ghanoush (/ˌbɑːbə ɡəˈnuːʃ/ BAH-bə gə-NOOSH, UK also /- ɡæˈnuːʃ/ -⁠ gan-OOSH, US also /- ɡəˈnuːʒ/ -⁠ gə-NOOZH;[3][4][5][6] Arabic: بابا غنوج, romanized: bābā ġannūj listenⓘ), also spelled baba ganoush or baba ghanouj,[1][3][4][5][6][7] is a Levantine appetizer consisting of finely chopped roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, various seasonings, and tahini.[6][7][8] The eggplant is traditionally baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.[9] It is a typical meze (starter) of the regional cuisine, often served as a side to a main meal and as a dip for pita bread.[7]

A very similar dish is mutabbal (Arabic: متبل, lit. 'spiced'), which is sometimes said to be a spicier version of baba ghanoush.

Etymology

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The word bābā in Arabic is a term of endearment for 'father', while Ġannūj could be a personal name.[5] The word combination is also interpreted as 'father of coquetry' or 'indulged/pampered/flirtatious daddy' or 'spoiled old daddy'.[4][7][10] However, it is not certain whether the word bābā refers to an actual person indulged by the dish or to the eggplant (bāḏinjān or bātinjān in Arabic).[7]

Varieties

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Eastern Arabian cuisine versions of the dish vary slightly from those of the Levant by spicing it with coriander and cumin;[10] those versions might be minimally spiced and topped with thinly chopped parsley or coriander leaves.[11]

In Turkey, 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.[citation needed]

In Armenia, 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.[citation needed]

In Romania, a similar dish is known as salată de vinete ('eggplant salad'). It lacks tahini and is made from finely chopped roasted eggplant, finely chopped onions, sunflower oil (explicitly not olive oil[12][13] because it would make the dish bitter), salt and, optionally, mayonnaise.[14]

In Syria, the dish is often mixed with sheep cheese, which turns it into a creamier dish.[15]

Food writer and historian Gil Marks has stated that: "Israelis learned to make baba ghanouj from the Arabs".[7] An Israeli variant, salat ḥatzilim ('eggplant salad'), is made with fried or grilled eggplants mixed with mayonnaise, salt, lemon and chopped fried onions.[16][17] It is usually topped with olive oil when served.

Several prominent Israeli chefs – including Pini Levy, Hussam Abbas, Eyal Shani, Ezra Kedem and Erez Komarovsky - have attempted to claim credit for inventing an eggplant dish with tahini (baladi eggplant carpaccio) which is in fact identical to baba ghanoush and thus not an invention of Israel. The claim elicited mockery from Food and Art scholar Dr. Yael Raviv in her book "Falafel Nation".[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b LeBlanc, Beverly; McNamee, Gregory Lewis, baba ghanoush at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ "Baba Ghanoush". The Armenian Kitchen. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "baba ganoush". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/5274143737. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ^ a b c "baba ghanouj". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "baba ghanouj" (US) and "baba ganoush". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "baba ghanoush". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Gil Marks (2010). "Baba Ghanouj". Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544186316.
  8. ^ "Baba ganoush". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2006. A Middle Eastern (originally Lebanese) dish of puréed roasted aubergine, garlic, and tahini.
  9. ^ Karam Khayat, Marie; Clark Keatinge, Margaret. Food from the Arab World. Beirut, Lebanon: Khayats.
  10. ^ a b Salloum, Habeeb (28 February 2012). The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905249.
  11. ^ "Baba Ganoush: Quintessentially Levantine". Your Middle East. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  12. ^ Marin, Sanda (1995). Carte de bucate (Cookbook) (in Romanian). București (Bucharest): Editura Orizonturi. pp. 31–32. ISBN 973-95583-2-1.
  13. ^ Jurcovan, Silvia (2012). Carte de bucate (Cookbook) (in Romanian). București (Bucharest): Editura Humanitas. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-973-50-3475-7.
  14. ^ Hansen, Eliza (1973). Meine rumänischen Spezialitäten (My Romanian Specialties) (in German). Hamburg: Ed. Christians. p. 10. ISBN 3-7672-0229-8.
  15. ^ "Baba ganoush ou caviar d'aubergines". Panier de Saison: recettes, accords mets-vins, jardinage et tourisme local (in French). October 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  16. ^ Levy, F. Feast from the Mideast (2003) p.41
  17. ^ Nathan, J. (2011). Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0-307-77785-0. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  18. ^ "No, Cherry Tomatoes Aren't an Israeli Invention - Food - Haaretz.com". archive.is. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baba ghanoush.
Look up baba ganoush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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