Eggplant salads and appetizers

Eggplant salads and appetizers are celebrated in various cuisines around the world, each offering a distinct twist and unique flavor profile. Here’s a quick tour of some of the most renowned eggplant dishes globally:

In the Middle East, Caucasus, and Africa, you'll find beloved dishes such as baba ghanoush, mutabbal, and badrijnis khizilala. In Israel, the traditional salat ḥatzilim is a must-try, while in Morocco, the fried eggplant dish known as zaalouk is a staple. Armenia presents us with mutabal, a delicate blend of eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon, and cumin. Over in Iran, kashk e badamjan is a cherished eggplant appetizer.

Moving to the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Greece offers melitzanosalata, Macedonia delights with malidzano, and Romania serves salată de vinete. In Russia and Ukraine, baklažannaja ikra and he iz baklažanov are popular. Turkish cuisine features patlıcan salatası and köpoğlu as common mezes. In South Asia, you can't miss baingan bartha, while Tamil Nadu’s kathrikai thayir kothsu is a beloved dish. The spicy and tangy choek wangun is a favorite among Kashmiris.

In East and Southeast Asia, dishes like Chinese eggplant mud and Korean gaji namul are highly regarded. Western Europe and Latin America also boast their own eggplant delights: France's caviar d'aubergine, Sicily's caponata, and the Hispanic world’s berenjena a la vinagreta. These dishes can be enjoyed as appetizers, side dishes, or even main courses.

A fun cultural tidbit: the 1973 Soviet film "Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future" humorously portrays eggplant caviar as a luxury item, even more so than sturgeon caviar, in 16th-century Moscow.

Eggplant dishes showcase the vegetable's versatility and global appeal, offering food enthusiasts a wide array of delicious options to explore.