Eggplant parmesan

Eggplant parmesan, melanzane alla parmigiana or parmigiana di melanzane is a common Italian dish which originated in Sicily. It typically includes fried (or baked) sliced eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese, layered repeatedly, which are then baked. It is sometimes served on or with spaghetti. Some variations leave out the mozzarella, although this is rare. The dish is related to Greece's Moussaka from which it differs for the lack of meat (substituted with the various cheeses).

In "La Cucina tradizionale siciliana", by Anna Pomar she writes.:"This is an ancient Sicilian dish which, in all cookbooks it is erroneously stated that the dish obtains its name from parmesan cheese which is one of the ingredients. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The name "parmigiana" does not derive from that of the cheese but is the italianization of the Sicilian dialectic word "parmiciana" which are the slats of wood which compose the central part of a shutter and overlap in the same manner as the slices of eggplant in the dish." (Translated from the Italian)

ee also

*Rollatini
*Moussaka