Musakka/Moussakas

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Moussaka ([musa'ka]; Greek: μουσακάς; Romanian: musaca; Turkish: musakka; Bulgarian: мусака; South Slavic: мусака/​musaka; Armenian: Մուսակա; Arabic: مسقعة‎ musaqqaʿa) is a traditional eggplant (aubergine)-based dish in the Balkans and the Middle East, but most closely associated with Greece and Turkey. The word moussaka is from the Arabic musaqqaʿa "chilled"[1], but came into English via the Greek. The Greek version, which is the best-known outside the region, traditionally consists of layers of ground (minced) lamb or red meat, sliced eggplant and tomato, topped with a white sauce and baked. Turkish Musakka, unlike the Greek version, is not layered. Instead, it is prepared with sautéed and fried eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat. It is eaten with Cacık and Pilav. There are also variants with zucchini (courgette), carrots and potatoes. In the Arab world, moussaka is a cooked salad made up primarily of tomatoes and eggplant, similar to Italian caponata, and is usually served cold as a mezze dish. The Slavic Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Bosnian, Montenegrin and Romanian versions are made with potatoes instead of eggplant. Despite its Arabic name, moussaka is usually thought of as a Greek dish in the West. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 433 KB) Summary Motiv: de:Mousakasi Aufnahmedatum: Mai 2005 Fotograf: Dieter Mueller (dino1948) Kamera: de:Nikon 885 Lizenz: GNU FDL Originally uploaded to German Wikipedia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 433 KB) Summary Motiv: de:Mousakasi Aufnahmedatum: Mai 2005 Fotograf: Dieter Mueller (dino1948) Kamera: de:Nikon 885 Lizenz: GNU FDL Originally uploaded to German Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Aubergine redirects here. ... Balkan redirects here. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... For other uses, see Tomato (disambiguation). ... Cuisine of Turkey is highly influenced by its Ottoman heritage, and thus, it is a fusion and refinement of Turkic, Arabic, Persian and Greek cuisines [1]. Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm, with particular influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia such... Pronounced JAH-Jik, this classic Turkish dish is the Turkish version of Tzatziki (which is usually less dense compared to the greek version) . It is easy to make and should be served cold in very small bowls as a first course. ... Plov being prepared in a Qozon Pilaf, Albanian pilaf, Armenian ÖƒÕ«Õ¬Õ¡Õ¾, Azeri plov, Bosnian pilav, Greek πιλάφι, Hindi पुलाव, Kazakh Kazakh: (palaw), Urdu pulao, Persian polow, Romanian pilaf, Russian: plov, Serbian pilav, Turkish pilav, Tajik полов, Uzbek: , Persian: - polo, Turkmen: , Turkish: , Crimean Tatar: , Tatar: , and - palov) also spelled pilau, perloo, perlau, plaw, pilaw, and... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... This article deals with food. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mezes (pl. ... Macedonian cuisine (Macedonian: Makedoska Kujna) is a representative of the cuisine of the Balkans, showing Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern influences and to a lesser extent Italian, Mediterranean and Hungarian ones. ... Bulgarian cuisine (Bulgarian: българска кухня) is representative of the cuisine of the Balkans, showing Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern influences and to a lesser extent Italian, Mediterranean and Hungarian ones. ... Serbian cuisine is influenced by Mediterranean (especially Greek, Bulgarian), Turkish and Hungarian cuisines, which makes it a heterogeneous one. ... Bosnian cuisine does not use any spices, and, when it does, in very small quantity. ... Montenegrin cuisine is a result of Montenegros geographic position and its long history. ... For other uses, see Potato (disambiguation). ... Arabic redirects here. ...

In the standard (3-layer) Greek recipe, the bottom layer consists of eggplant slices sautéed in olive oil; the middle layer is ground lamb precooked with onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, herbs (bay leaf, oregano, thyme), and spices (cinnamon, allspice and black pepper); and the top layer is a cheese-flavoured béchamel sauce, or egg custard (probably introduced by Tselementes in the 1920s). The three layers are laid in a lightly buttered or oiled pan and baked until the top béchamel layer turns golden brown. No more baking is required as the bottom two layers are already almost cooked beforehand. For the Popeye character, see Olive Oyl. ... It has been suggested that Lambing be merged into this article or section. ... bay leaves Bay leaf in Greek Daphni (plural bay leaves) is the aromatic leaf of several species of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). ... Binomial name Origanum vulgare L. Oregano or Pot Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia. ... Species About 350 species, including: Thymus adamovicii Thymus altaicus Thymus amurensis Thymus bracteosus Thymus broussonetii Thymus caespititius Thymus camphoratus Thymus capitatus Thymus capitellatus Thymus camphoratus Thymus carnosus Thymus cephalotus Thymus cherlerioides Thymus ciliatus Thymus cilicicus Thymus cimicinus Thymus comosus Thymus comptus Thymus curtus Thymus disjunctus Thymus doerfleri Thymus glabrescens Thymus... Binomial name J.Presl Cassia (Chinese cinnamon) is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon. ... Binomial name (L.) Merr. ... Binomial name L. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. ... Béchamel Sauce (pronounced ), also known as white sauce, is a basic sauce that is used as the base for other sauces, such as Mornay sauce, which is Béchamel and cheese. ... Egg custard is a baked dish made from mixing eggs, sweetener, and milk, often with strong flavorings such as vanilla or anisette. ... The 1920s they were sexy referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

The butter in the béchamel can be omitted, used sparingly, or substituted by cream. In the rest of the Balkans, the top layer is often a custard. Grated cheese or bread crumbs are often sprinkled on top. Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of raw milk before homogenization. ... This article focuses on egg-thickened custards. ...

There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. The most common variant in Greece may include zucchini (courgette), part-fried potatoes or sautéed mushrooms in addition to the eggplant. There is even a fast-day version in the Greek cookbook by Tselementes which includes neither meat nor béchamel sauce, just vegetables (ground eggplant is used instead of ground meat), tomato sauce, and bread crumbs. This article is about the fruit. ... Courgette Young zucchini Flower of zucchini Zucchini (US and Australian English) or Courgette (New Zealand and British English), is the name of a vegetable. ... Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. ...

See also

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Category:Musaka

• Bulgarian cuisine
• Greek cuisine
• Turkish cuisine
• Romanian cuisine
• Macedonian cuisine (Slavic)
• Montenegrin cuisine