Tuesday 25 January 2022

The Rev Did Not Faint

 

Aubergines were cheap at CCWells last week, so I bought some for my first attempt at the Turkish dish, Imam Bayildi. Lots of recipes online - here is Yotam's.

I added a heaped tsp of pinenuts, and another of currants. It looks a bit messy on the plate, but tasted fabulous. Because we are still lo-carb/lo-sugar I didn't serve it with a bowl of soft warm pita bread. Which I will definitely do next time, as it would have made it easier to mop up every last unctuous smear of flavour.

The name Imam Bayildi means "the priest fainted". There are various tales surrounding the origin of such a title.

The main one is that the priest's wife served him such a delicious meal that he swooned from sheer pleasure. An alternative tale is that he fainted because she told him how much olive oil she had used in it.

The one that amused me most is that the Imam was newly wed, and his father in law was an olive oil merchant. So the bride came with a valuable dowry, a dozen bottles of the finest virgin oil. The first evening when the Imam came home, she served him this dish for dinner. He loved it. "I could eat this every night" he told her. So the next night she repeated this...and so on for twelve nights. But on the thirteenth night, his supper was something else [egg&chips? macaroni cheese? we do not know] When the priest questioned her about the change in menu, she explained that she had run out of oil - and the dowry had all been used up. The priest fainted in distress because of her profligacy with their resources.

I didn't use an excessive amount of oil - and Bob did not faint. But we really did enjoy this dish, a true Turkish Delight.

22 comments:

  1. It sounds delicious and I like the stories behind it. Not too sure about the inclusion of currants (not a fan) but apart from that, yum!

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    1. Currants are not essential - but I AM a big fan. I think you & C might enjoy this

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  2. This is something I've made before, but it has slipped out of my repetoire. Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Have a go - I'm sure you are able to buy lovely fat juicy aubergines in France

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  3. I LOVE this dish. I knew it was called 'the Imman faints' but hadn't heard this story before!

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    1. The various versions of the story are fascinating

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  4. What an interesting story. I had forgotten this dish. I seem to remember making it after I had left home, and following a group trip to the Holy Land, where we enjoyed both Israeli and Arab food.

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    1. How lovely to visit the Holy Land! I enjoy many dishes from that part of the world, but have never been able to visit.

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  5. Your photo looks delicious. I've been trying to work out what the pale coloured chunks are - looks like new potatoes but can't be that. Yum anyway.

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    1. No, the pale chunks are cut up pieces of the aubergines. You halve one, and brown it all over in a pan of oil, then you scoop out the inner [leaving the 'shell'] and mix it with tomatoes peppers etc, and put it back into the shell and bake. The flesh is softer than potatoes - more like firm banana chunks in texture [but not taste!]

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    2. Ah, that makes sense. Did you follow the Ottolenghi recipe or a different one?

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    3. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/imam-bayildi-50123689. But I added a tablespoon of pine nuts, and used canned chopped tomatoes, not fresh

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  6. I really like aubergine and that recipe looks very tasty. I am sowing my aubergines this week.

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    1. Do you need a greenhouse for aubergines? I thought they needed a warmer climate

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    2. You can grow aubergines very successfully in the UK and I usually get a good crop. They do need protection so a greenhouse is ideal, but a conservatory can work too. Do you have much light in the 'Futility' room?

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    3. There isn't really anywhere to put plants in the FR but that was a good idea. I shall give this more thought... Thank you!

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  7. It sounds delicious and I love the story!

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  8. I enjoyed the stories behind the name! I am not a big fan of eggplant (as they are called here), but, your photo looks very colorful. :)

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  9. I love the stories behind this dish's name even more than I like the dish itself.

    That is a very healthy plate of food.

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