Baba ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is a dip of roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil, widely eaten across the Levant. It is served as a starter, usually with pita bread, and belongs to the regional repertoire of meze dishes.

History

Its exact origin is not documented. The Arabic name pairs a term of endearment for 'father' with a second element that may be a personal name, but it is unclear whether it refers to a pampered person or to the eggplant itself. Hans Wehr's 1979 fourth edition of his dictionary of modern written Arabic defined the word as a dish of mashed eggplant with sesame oil and linked it to Syrian and Lebanese Arabic.

Dishes of mashed eggplant appear across cuisines from West Africa to Russia. Gulf versions are often spiced with coriander and cumin, Syrian cooks sometimes mix in sheep cheese for a creamier texture, and in Turkey the dish has its own name. During Israel's austerity period of 1949 to 1959, the dish was adopted from neighbouring Arab countries. It served as a meat substitute and stayed popular after the crisis, becoming, in the words of food historian Gil Marks, a cultural icon.

Culture

At a Levantine table, baba ghanoush is a shared starter, served cold or at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and sometimes pomegranate seeds on top. Its core ingredients (eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon) stay largely constant across the region, while spices and garnishes change from place to place.

Mutabbal is a close relative. Palestine and Jordan have a popular pumpkin version, and some variants add labneh, a thick yoghurt, for a tangier and creamier result. In Greece, melitzanosalata leaves out the tahini and is made with olive oil and lemon. It is especially popular during the Orthodox Lenten fast, since it offers a dish without animal products as an alternative to dips such as tzatziki.

Trivia