🍆 Babaganoush
Babaganoush, as it is often spelled on menus, is a creamy eggplant dip from the Levant. In this lighter, everyday version the eggplants are roasted in the oven until soft and smoky at the edges, then mashed with a modest spoonful of tahini, lemon juice, garlic and a little olive oil. It tastes fresh and tangy rather than rich, and is eaten as a mezze or alongside grilled meats and vegetables.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants (about 900 g)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 40 ml)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt, ground cumin, chopped parsley
Method
- Heat the oven to 230 °C. Prick the eggplants, halve them lengthwise, brush the cut sides very lightly with the oil and roast cut side down for 30–35 minutes until very soft.
- Scoop out the flesh, drain it for 10 minutes and chop it finely.
- Mix with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, a pinch of cumin and salt. Taste and add more lemon if needed.
- Serve cool, sprinkled with parsley.
How to make it lighter
- More eggplant and lemon and less tahini keep the dip light without losing its creaminess.
- A typical mezze portion is 3–4 tbsp — spoon it onto your plate rather than dipping from the shared bowl.
- Pair it with grilled chicken and salad for a filling, balanced plate.
History
Roasted eggplant dips are part of everyday eating across the Levant, Turkey and Egypt, and babaganoush has become one of the best-known Middle Eastern mezze around the world.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →