3 Traditional Greek Foods Made With Eggplant
Posted on: 29 November 2022
When you dine at a traditional Greek restaurant, you can enjoy a wide range of foods and flavorful ingredients. Along with traditional foods like chicken and lamb, many Greek meals will include eggplant as the main portion of the meal. Eggplant can get cut and cooked in a variety of ways at Greek restaurants.
Check out three of the traditional Greek meal options you can enjoy with eggplant. Each option includes a wide range of other ingredients and flavors to create a delicious meal.
1. Moussaka
Also known as an eggplant casserole, moussaka has a similar vibe to a lasagna. The meal features multiple layers and thinly cut eggplant. Between each layer, you could find ingredients like potatoes and a meat sauce. Often referred to as Kyma on a classic Greek restaurant menu, the meat sauce includes a wide range of spices with a red tomato sauce base.
Baked in a large pan, the moussaka is cut to order and served hot for guests. When served on a plate, you can see all of the layers formed into each other. The potato layer usually sits on the top and features slight browning on the top from being in the oven.
2. Spanaki
While eggplant gets sliced and layered in moussaka, you can enjoy a whole eggplant when you order a Greek meal like Spanaki. Also known as "stuffed eggplant," some of the eggplant's center gets scooped out and replaced with a wide range of fillings. The fillings could include cheese and meats.
Some of the more traditional options include feta cheese, spinach, and roasted tomatoes. Once stuffed, the eggplant gets baked until everything gets nice and hot. The outside edges of the eggplant remain crispy while the inside stays tender and easy to cut.
3. Stuffed Pitas
On many Greek restaurant menus, you will find pita bread options. If you like the flavors of eggplant, then consider a stuffed pita with eggplant as the main ingredient. Eggplant adds a lot of flavor to a pita and may include other ingredients like roasted red peppers and feta cheese. Some of the spicy options may include spicier peppers.
An eggplant parm pita will come with a red sauce base and offers an ideal lunch-sized portion of the meal rather than a full eggplant parm with pasta sauce and extras.
Try each of the options the next time you dine out and enjoy some traditional Greek foods. Visit a local traditional Greek restaurant to learn more.
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