Fried eggplant
Fried eggplant appears in many cuisines worldwide.
Fried eggplant, or fried aubergine, appears in many different cuisines around the world. In Spain, it is served as a tapa, and in the province of Córdoba it is often prepared with honey. Turkish cuisine features a version called *patlıcan kızartma* or *patlıcan kızartması*, a common summer dish. In Ottoman Istanbul, the season was known as "fried eggplant months" because the widespread frying, done in areas full of wooden houses, frequently caused large fires that destroyed entire neighborhoods. The dish is typically eaten with garlic yogurt or tomato sauce. In southern Italy, especially Campania, eggplants are cut into small pieces and fried. One preparation, *melanzane a funghetto*, has two versions—one with tomatoes and one without. Another well-known dish using fried eggplant is *parmigiana di melanzane*, popular across southern Italy. In Arab and Israeli cuisines, fried eggplant is usually served with tahini; in Israel, it is also used in *sabich*, a sandwich of fried eggplant and hard-boiled egg in pita. In South Asia, India has a shallow-fried eggplant dish called brinjal phodi or *vangyache kaap* in Konkani, typical of Konkani and Maharashtrian cooking and similar to Bengali *begun bhaja*.
- also_known_as
- Fried aubergine
- spanish_form
- Tapa, often with honey in Córdoba
- turkish_name
- Patlıcan kızartma or Patlıcan kızartması
- italian_variants
- Melanzane a funghetto, parmigiana di melanzane
- middle_eastern_use
- Served with tahini; used in sabich sandwich
- south_asian_names
- Brinjal phodi, vangyache kaap, begun bhaja
Lore & Background
In Spanish cuisine, fried eggplant takes the form of a tapa, and in the province of Córdoba it is usually made with honey. In Turkish cuisine, it is such a common dish during summer months that this season used to be called patlıcan kızartma ayları (fried eggplant months) in Ottoman Istanbul, where this generalized frying caused huge fires and destroyed entire mahalles due to the abundance of old wooden houses. The dish is usually eaten with a garlic yogurt or tomato sauce.
In Southern Italy, especially in Campania region, eggplants are cut into little pieces and then fried. Melanzane a funghetto have two variants, the one with tomatoes and the other without. Another recipe which contains fried eggplants is parmigiana di melanzane, famous in all southern regions of the country. In Arab and Israeli cuisines, fried eggplant is typically served with tahini. In Israel, it is used to make sabich, a popular sandwich of fried eggplant and hard-boiled egg in a pita.
In India, fried eggplant is also known as brinjal phodi or vangyache kaap in the Konkani language. Made with shallow-fried eggplant slices, this recipe is typically a Konkani and Maharashtrian dish, very similar to begun bhaja from Bengali cuisine.
Reader's Guide
Fried eggplant is a versatile dish that appears in many different cuisines, each adapting it to local ingredients and traditions. In Spain, it is a tapa often sweetened with honey in Córdoba. In Turkey, its popularity in summer was so great that the season was called 'fried eggplant months' in Ottoman Istanbul, and the widespread frying caused fires that destroyed entire neighborhoods. The dish is commonly served with garlic yogurt or tomato sauce. In Southern Italy, particularly Campania, fried eggplant appears as melanzane a funghetto (with or without tomatoes) and in the layered parmigiana di melanzane. Middle Eastern cuisines pair fried eggplant with tahini, and in Israel it is a key component of the sabich sandwich. In South Asia, it is known as brinjal phodi or vangyache kaap in Konkani and Maharashtrian cuisines, similar to Bengali begun bhaja. The dish's global presence highlights its adaptability and enduring appeal across cultures.
Did You Know?
- In Ottoman Istanbul, the summer season was called 'patlıcan kızartma ayları' (fried eggplant months) due to the dish's popularity.
- Generalized frying of eggplant in Ottoman Istanbul caused huge fires that destroyed entire mahalles because of old wooden houses.
- In the province of Córdoba, Spain, fried eggplant is usually made with honey.
- In Israel, fried eggplant is used to make sabich, a sandwich with hard-boiled egg in a pita.
More in Turkish cuisine 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record