Türkiye
Photo: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, croppedHünkâr beğendi
/hynˈcjaːɾ bejenˈdi/hoon-KYAR beh-yen-DEE
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- Taste
- RichSavory
- Made with
- LambVegetablesDairy & cheese
History
Hünkâr beğendi means "the sultan liked it". It is a lamb or beef stew in tomato sauce, served on a smooth purée of aubergines charred over a flame, then mashed with butter, milk, flour and cheese, a little like a béchamel. It comes from the Ottoman palace kitchens of Istanbul. The usual story says it was served to Empress Eugénie of France when she visited Sultan Abdülaziz in 1869, and she liked it so much that she asked for the recipe; other versions name an earlier sultan. Whatever the true story, it remains a classic of Istanbul restaurants that serve Ottoman cooking, and it is often eaten in winter.
Sources
