Imam Bayildi

Imam Bayildi refers to a Turkish dish made of eggplant sauteed in olive oil, with tomatoes, garlic, parsley and onions. Imam Bayildi (literally translated as the "Imam who fainted") is an eggplant based dish, mixed with olive oil, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. Imam Bayildi is one of the best vegetarian alternatives in Mediterranean cuisine.

The Greek version offers this dish as a main course, served hot with good use of sliced bread for dipping. The Turkish version is close to its neighbor’s (Greece) version, however, it is served as a Meze (side dish), and is eaten cold or at room temperature. Imam Bayildi is one of the foods which Greece and Turkey shares in common. Several of Turkish and Greek food resemle taste, aroma and more importantly names. The commonality between the two (2) countries dates back over 500 years to the Ottoman conquest ruling most of modern day Greece, as well as the entire eastern Mediterranean. With the empirical regime brought an establishment of the Silk Road, offering new recipes and spices from Central Asia to the Aegean. As a descendent of Greek Izmir, the food in Turkey was mostly derived from the Ottoman influences, examples are dishes like Mousakka, Imam Bayildi, Turlu, Borek, and among many others. These dishes symbolized centuries of shared history and culture between Greece and Turkey although in the end some differences might also be observed because of the differences in the style of cooking and some ingredients that goes into the dish.