İmam bayıldı
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İmam bayıldı ("The imam fainted") is one of the most notable Turkish zeytinyağlı (olive oil) dishes, and is also popular among Armenians, particularly those with roots in Turkey. It is a kind of Meze as a vegetarian dish. It consists of eggplant stuffed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes, then simmered in olive oil. Another variant is karnıyarık, which includes chopped meat.
[edit] Origin
İmam bayıldı, which is usually eaten cold like other zeytinyagi dishes, which are also called zeytinyagli in general, may have originated during the Middle Ages. Because of the theory of humours, it was a common practice to eat cold, moist foods during the summer months in order to counteract the bile produced by the dry heat of the season.
There are several legends which attempt to explain the name of the dish:
- The imam fainted when he tasted how good it was.
- The imam fainted when he saw how much expensive olive oil was used.
- The imam was delighted when a shopkeeper's wife quickly prepared this dish for his unexpected visit.
The Turkish proverb İmam evinden aş, ölü gözünden yaş çıkmaz ("No food is likely to come out of the imam's house, and no tears from a corpse") may also be responsible for the name—when the stingy imam was presented with such a generous dish, he fainted from delight.
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