Eggplant/Aubergine Casserole

The traditional tabsi betinjan (eggplant casserole) cooked nowadays is reminiscent of the medieval Buraniyya (see ‘Al-Buraniyya: The Mother of All Musakkas’), except that nowadays we use tomato juice for its liquid instead of the medieval mixture of water, vinegar, and saffron.

Etymologically, the name tabsi is derived from the Turkish tabs ‘tray’. Meat and vegetables are layered in a wide baking pan, like