karnıyarık — Turkey

Karnıyarık takes its name, literally 'split open', from the way its main ingredient is prepared: eggplants are fried or lightly cooked, then slit lengthwise so they can be filled. The pocket is packed with a sautéed mixture of minced meat, onion, garlic, pepper and tomato, and the whole dish is finished in the oven. It is reported across Turkey as a standard home-cooking dish, appearing on family tables and in neighborhood restaurants alike, generally served as a main course with rice or bread on the side. To prepare it, eggplants are peeled in stripes and fried in oil until soft, then set in a baking dish and slit open without cutting all the way through. Minced meat is browned with chopped onion, garlic, green pepper and tomato, seasoned with black pepper and parsley, and this filling is spooned into each eggplant. Slices of tomato and pepper are laid on top, a little water or broth is poured around the eggplants, and the dish is baked until the tomato softens and the flavors settle. A meatless relative, İmam bayıldı, is prepared in a similar way but served cold rather than hot, and households differ in how much tomato paste, chili or parsley goes into the filling and in the size of the eggplants used.