Imam Bayıldı – Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes, Onion and Garlic

About This Recipe

Imam Bayıldı — literally 'the imam fainted' — is one of the most poetic dishes in Turkish cuisine, and one of the most delicious. Whole eggplants are split and stuffed with a fragrant mixture of onion, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil, then slow-roasted until completely collapsed and tender, the filling melting into the flesh. The result is silky, deeply savoury, and best eaten at room temperature as part of a meze spread. The legend behind the name varies: some say the imam fainted from the sheer deliciousness of the dish; others say he fainted at the quantity of expensive olive oil used. Both stories hint at what makes this dish special — extraordinary flavour requires extraordinary olive oil. The dish is best made with excellent extra-virgin olive oil and ripe, flavourful tomatoes, ideally in late summer when both are at their peak. Imam Bayıldı is served cold or at room temperature, which makes it ideal for entertaining — make it the day before and let the flavours develop overnight. It is naturally vegan and gluten-free, a centrepiece of any Turkish meze table.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4medium eggplants
• 100 mlextra-virgin olive oil
• 3large onions(thinly sliced)
• 8 clovesgarlic(thinly sliced)
• 4tomatoes(finely diced)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 small bunchflat-leaf parsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the eggplants

   Make a deep lengthwise slit in each eggplant, not cutting all the way through. Salt generously inside and out. Leave 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

2. 2

   Fry the eggplants

   Heat half the olive oil in a wide pan. Fry eggplants on all sides until lightly golden and starting to soften. Transfer to a baking dish, slit-side up.

3. 3

   Make the filling

   In the same pan, cook onions in remaining olive oil over low heat for 20 minutes until very soft and sweet. Add garlic, cook 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and salt. Simmer 10 minutes until thick. Stir in parsley.

4. 4

   Fill and roast

   Spoon filling generously into the slit of each eggplant, pressing it in. Add a splash of water to the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 40–45 minutes until completely collapsed and tender.

   The eggplants should look almost deflated — this is correct.

5. 5

   Cool and serve

   Cool to room temperature. Drizzle with extra olive oil, scatter parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

Variations

• •

  Add crumbled feta into the filling for a richer version.

• •

  Use a mix of coloured peppers alongside the tomatoes for extra sweetness.

Storage

Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Best served at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions