Imam bayıldı: Turkish delight with a legendary twist

Turkish cuisine can surprise you — not only with its flavours but also with the names of its dishes. While most of us associate it primarily with kebabs and baklava, it's the lesser-known dishes that often hold the most interesting stories. One such dish is İmam Bayıldı — a dish whose name alone makes you smile. How can you not grin when you hear "the imam fainted"?

It is a traditional Turkish dish made from aubergines stuffed with vegetables — mainly tomatoes, onions, and garlic. The dish is usually served cold or at room temperature, drenched in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs.

İmam Bayıldı is light, aromatic, and works well as an accompaniment to grilled meats, fish, or as a standalone dish. It exemplifies Mediterranean cuisine — simplicity highlighted by high-quality ingredients.

İmam Bayıldı is a dish with a history, amusing with its name and delightful in taste. Aubergines stewed in olive oil with a vegetable filling are light, full of aromas, and perfectly fit the idea of summer meals. Served cold, they work well as a side dish for grilled meats or as an appetiser at a party. In Turkish cuisine, it's a classic — it's worth discovering in your own home and surprising your loved ones.

Ingredients:

• 4 aubergines,
• 3 ripe tomatoes (or 1 can of chopped tomatoes),
• 3 onions,
• 3-4 cloves of garlic,
• 120 ml of olive oil,
• 1 red bell pepper (optional),
• Salt and pepper to taste,
• 1 teaspoon of sugar,
• Parsley for garnish.

Preparation:

1. Slice the aubergines lengthwise without cutting all the way through, salt them and set them aside for 30 minutes to remove bitterness, then rinse and dry them.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil and fry the aubergines on each side until they are soft and slightly browned.
3. Remove from the pan and place in a baking dish. In the same pan, sauté chopped onions, garlic, and bell pepper (if using); add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the filling thickens, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
4. Gently open the sliced aubergines and stuff them with the prepared vegetable mixture, drizzling the entire dish with the remaining olive oil.
5. Cover and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with fresh parsley.

The name of this iconic dish from Turkish cuisine is not accidental — it is shrouded in a legend that has amused both the people of Turkey and tourists for years. "İmam Bayıldı" literally means "the imam fainted" and there are several stories explaining how this came to be.

The most popular version claims that a certain imam, meaning a Muslim cleric, tasted the aubergine dish prepared by his wife and was so delighted by its flavour that he fainted with pleasure. Another story has a more practical connotation — according to it, the imam fainted when he learnt how much precious olive oil was used to prepare the dish. In times when olive oil was a luxury item, using such an amount could indeed cause dizziness.