Greece
Photo: Robert Kindermann aka RobertK, CC BY-SA 2.5, croppedMoussaka
μουσακάς
/musaˈkas/moo-sah-KAHS
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- Taste
- SavoryRich
- Made with
- VegetablesLambDairy & cheese
History
Layered aubergine dishes were cooked across the Ottoman world and the Arab world, and the name comes from Arabic. The Greek moussaka that is known today, with fried aubergine, a minced lamb or beef sauce with tomato, cinnamon and allspice, and a thick top layer of béchamel, was shaped in the 1920s by the chef Nikolaos Tselementes. He trained in Vienna and Paris and wanted to give Greek cooking a French touch, adding the béchamel. His cookbook became a household bible in Greece, and the dish became a national symbol, baked in big trays for Sunday lunch and festivals.
Sources
