İmam bayıldı

The imam fainted: Ottoman braised stuffed eggplant in olive oil

Origin: Turkey (Ottoman Empire)

From the journey of Eggplant / Aubergine.

İmam bayıldı, 'the imam fainted', is the most celebrated eggplant dish of the Ottoman culinary tradition, and one of the most recognisable dishes in the world. A whole eggplant is slit lengthways, filled with a fragrant mixture of slow-cooked onions, garlic, and tomatoes, then submerged in olive oil and braised at low heat until the entire vegetable collapses into silky, yielding tenderness. The legend behind the name is contentious: did the imam faint from the exquisite flavour? From the extravagant quantity of olive oil used; the original recipe is said to have consumed the entire dowry's worth of olive oil the imam's wife brought to their marriage? From the cost of the ingredients? All three explanations exist in Turkish culinary tradition, and all three are probably true at once. What is certain is that imam bayıldı belongs to the zeytinyağlı tradition of Ottoman and Turkish cooking: a category of dishes cooked entirely in olive oil and served at room temperature, representing one of the most refined currents in Turkish gastronomy. Zeytinyağlı dishes are not hot food: they are served cooled to room temperature, which allows the olive oil to be fully tasted and the vegetables to express their concentrated flavour without the distraction of heat. The category includes dolma, artichokes, green beans, and leeks; all cooked with the same generosity of olive oil and the same patience. The Ottoman palace kitchen at Topkapı, under the supervision of the head chef (aşçıbaşı), is recorded to have had more than forty distinct eggplant preparations by the 17th century. Eggplant (patlıcan) had arrived in Anatolia from the Arab world by at least the 13th century, and the Ottoman Empire's geographic span, stretching from the Balkans to North Africa to the Levant, synthesised the entire Mediterranean eggplant tradition into a single imperial cuisine. The influence of that synthesis still radiates outward: from the Greek melitzanes imam to the Bosnian punjene patlıdžan to the Egyptian dishes cooked in the same manner across the Nile Delta. İmam bayıldı is their common ancestor. The key to making this dish correctly is the olive oil. A timid amount will produce a disappointingly dry result. The eggplants must be genuinely submerged; or very nearly so; to braise rather than bake, and the slow heat allows them to absorb the oil while simultaneously releasing their own liquid, creating a braising medium that is the finished sauce. Do not rush it, and do not apologise for the oil.

Ingredients

Eggplant

  • 4 medium eggplants, long variety preferred (about 200g each), firm, glossy, with tight stems
  • 1 tsp fine salt, for salting the eggplants

Oil

  • 180 ml good-quality olive oil, this is not the place to scrimp

Filling

  • 3 medium onions, halved and very thinly sliced into half-moons
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (or 400g tinned whole tomatoes, drained and chopped)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 0.5 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp fine salt, for the filling
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped

To Serve

  • 1 lemon, juiced, to serve alongside
  • 1 loaf crusty white bread or Turkish pide, to serve

Method

  1. Cut the stem end off each eggplant but leave the calyx (the green leafy cap) intact if possible; it looks beautiful and helps the eggplant hold together. Use a sharp paring knife to make a deep lengthways slit down one side of each eggplant, cutting about two-thirds of the way through; not all the way; to create a pocket. Score the cut flesh inside the pocket with a crosshatch of shallow cuts to help it absorb the filling.
  2. Rub the interior of each slit generously with salt. Place the eggplants slit-side up on a colander or wire rack and leave for 20 minutes. This draws out some of the bitter juices and helps the flesh soften during cooking. After 20 minutes, rinse and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
  3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the eggplants and turn them gently in the oil for 4–5 minutes until the skin begins to take on some colour and the flesh just starts to soften. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage; you are creating a seal and beginning the flavour development. Remove and set aside.
  4. In the same pan, add another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 15–18 minutes until very soft, translucent, and golden in places. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, allspice, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the mixture thickens to a soft, jammy filling that holds its shape when pressed with a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust salt.
  5. Choose a heavy-based pan or deep sauté pan with a lid just large enough to hold the four eggplants snugly in a single layer. Place the eggplants slit-side up. Using a spoon, gently open each slit and pack the onion-tomato filling generously inside, pressing it in firmly. Heap any remaining filling on top.
  6. Pour the remaining olive oil evenly over and around the eggplants. Add 3–4 tablespoons of water to the pan. The oil and water should come at least halfway up the sides of the eggplants. Cover with the lid, set over very low heat, and braise for 40–50 minutes. Check every 15 minutes: the liquid should be gently simmering, never boiling hard. If it reduces too far and threatens to stick, add a splash of water.
  7. When the eggplants are completely tender and the oil is a rich, golden, fragrant liquid pooled around them, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool, uncovered, to room temperature. This will take at least 30 minutes. The dish must be served at room temperature; not warm, not cold from the refrigerator.
  8. Arrange the eggplants on a serving platter. Spoon any remaining oil and juices from the pan over them. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top. Serve with plenty of crusty bread for mopping the pan juices.

Notes

İmam bayıldı keeps beautifully and is in fact better made a day ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for a full hour before serving; never serve it straight from the fridge. The olive oil will solidify when chilled; this is normal and it will liquefy again at room temperature. Some Turkish cooks add a pinch of dried chilli flakes to the filling; others include a few currants or pine nuts for a more palace-style preparation. The quality of the olive oil matters enormously here; use the best you have, as it is both cooking medium and sauce.

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