Berenjena Rellena

The Imam Fainted

The imam fainted, imam bayildi, is the name of one of the most famous of Turkish zeytinyagi dishes (olive oil foods). It may have medieval roots, if we consider that the zeytinyagi dishes, which are usually eaten cold, fit the prescriptions of the dietetic theory of humors that was the basis for medical theory at that time. It was customary to eat cold and moist foods in the summer during medieval times because that counteracted the hot dry humor of summer that caused an increase in bile.

Imam bayildi is an eggplant slashed down the middle and stuffed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes and then simmered in olive oil to cover. There are several apocryphal stories about the origins of the dish. The imam (Muslim prayer leader) fainted or swooned when he tasted how good it was; that the imam fainted when he saw how much expensive olive oil was used; that the imam was delighted when a shopkeeper's wife was required to quickly prepare a dish for the imam's unexpected visit. A Turkish proverb casts light on another interpretation: Imam evinden ash, olu gozunden yash cikmaz (No food is likely to come out of the imam's house and no tears from a corpse). Perhapsthe meaning is that the stingy imam, when presented with a dish so generous, certainly was delighted, or fainted from delight.

RECIPE IN SPANISH

Para la Berenjena Rellena se utiliza la misma receta de las dolmas(receta anterior).

Se agarra la berenjena, se parte en dos, se limpia por dentro (es decir se quita la carne de la berenjena) y se pone la mezcla de arroz con carne. Tambien se come con Yogurt! Yumi!

En esta foto, por ejemplo...se agarra la berenjena, se parte en dos y se ubica la carne molida mezclada con especias y se pone al horno! es delicioso! Les digo que en la comida turca hay una variedad increible y su sabor es inigualable!