Moussaka

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Moussaka

Origin
Alternate name(s)	Musakka/Moussakas
Place of origin	Middle East (cooked salad form), Greece (3-layer form), Turkey (saute form)
Dish details
Course served	Main Course
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Eggplant and meat
Variations	Multiple

Moussaka ([musa'ka]; Greek: μουσακάς, South Slavic: musaka/мусака, from Turkish: musakka, ultimately from Arabic: مسقعة‎ musaqqaʿa "chilled"^[1][2]) is an eggplant (aubergine)-based dish of the Balkans and the Middle East. Though it is part of all the cuisines of the former Ottoman region and has an Arabic name, in the West, it is best-known in its Greek form.^[3]

All versions are based primarily on sautéed eggplant and tomato, usually with minced meat. The Greek version, which is the best-known outside the region, includes layers of meat and eggplant topped with a white sauce and baked. Turkish musakka, unlike the Greek version, is not layered. Instead, it is prepared with sautéed eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat. It is eaten with cacık and pilaf. 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.

In the classic Greek three-layer recipe, the bottom layer consists of eggplant slices sautéed in olive oil; the middle layer is ground lamb cooked with onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, herbs, and spices (cinnamon, allspice and black pepper); and the top layer is a béchamel sauce or egg custard (probably introduced by Tselementes in the 1920s). Each layer is cooked on its own and then they are laid in a lightly buttered or oiled pan and baked until the top layer turns golden brown. Moussaka should not be served straight from the oven, as it is too runny; it should always be left to settle for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Once the temperature has dropped below 60 degrees Celsius, the portions, although still hot, will keep their shape on the plate. Leftover moussaka keeps well in the refrigerator and can be eaten cold as well.

In the rest of the Balkans, the top layer is often a custard. Grated cheese or bread crumbs are often sprinkled on top.

There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. The most common variant in Greece may include zucchini, 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.

[edit] See also

• Karnıyarık

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Musaka

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Moussaka

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