Imam bayildi

Imam bayildicite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1O33-imambayildi.html|title="imam bayildi."|work=The Oxford Essential Dictionary of Foreign Terms in English|accessdate=2008-04-16|author=Jennifer Speake, Mark LaFlaur|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=English] ( _tr. İmambayıldı, literally: "the imam was thrilled"; [cite web |url=http://www.seslisozluk.com/?word=bay%FDlmak |title=Entry "bayılmak" |work=Seslisozluk] even more literally: "the imam fainted", [cite web| url=http://www.tdk.org.tr/TR/SozBul.aspx?F6E10F8892433CFFAAF6AA849816B2EF4376734BED947CDE&Kelime=imambay%c4%b1ld%c4%b1| title=İmambayıldı"|work=Online Turkish Dictionary|accessdate=2008-04-16|publisher=Turkish Language Association|language=Turkish] ) one of the most notable Turkish "zeytinyağlı" (olive oil) dishes, is braised eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes. It is a variation of Karnıyarık, which additionally contains minced beef.

The name supposedly derives from a tale of an imam, who swooned with pleasure at the flavor when presented with this dish by his wife, although other accounts suggest he fainted at the cost of the ingredients. And even further stories tell that he fainted because of the amount of oil used to cook it. [John Auto, "The Glutton's Glossary: A Dictionary of Food and Drink Terms", Routledge, 1990, ISBN 0415026474, p. 146.]

Another folktale relates that an imam married the daughter of an olive oil merchant. Her dowry consisted of several jars of the finest olive oil, with which she prepared each evening eggplant cooked in that oil and with tomatoes and onions. On the thirteenth day, there was no eggplant dish at the table. When informed that there was no more olive oil, the imam fainted. [Gregory McNamee "Movable Feasts: The History, Science, and Lore of Food", Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0275989313, p. 82.]

It is a vegetarian meze dish, which consists of eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes, then simmered in olive oil. It is served cold.

Imam bayildi is also well known in Bulgaria and Greece by the Turkish name. It is generally known in the Arab world as "imam bayouldi". [Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark Keatinge, "Food from the Arab World", Khayats, Beirut, 1961.]

ee also

*Turkish cuisine
*Karnıyarık

Footnotes