Imam Bayildi

Name: Imam Bayildi
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 6 small (3 1/2–4 1/2-inch) long and thin eggplants; Salt; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup good-quality tomato juice; 1 teaspoon sugar, or more; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 1/2 large onions, cut in half and sliced thinly; 2–3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 5 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped; Salt

December 9, 2011

This famous Turkish dish is served as a cold appetizer or first course. Conflicting stories are told about the origin of its name, which means “the Imam fainted.” Some say it came about when an imam (Muslim priest) fainted with pleasure on being served it by his wife. Others believe that the Imam fainted when he heard how expensive the ingredients were, and how much olive oil had gone into the making. The dish is part of the range of zeytinyagli (cooked in olive oil) dishes Turkey is famous for. It can be cooked in a saucepan or in the oven.

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