Buran

This relish is named after Buran (d. 884), the wife of Abbasid Caliph al-Ma’moun. As given in al-Baghdadi’s thirteenth-century cookbook, it was served as a bed for meatballs. Here is the original version:

• Take eggplant, and boil lightly in water and salt, then take out and dry for an hour. Fry this in fresh sesame oil until cooked.
• Peel, put into a dish or a large cup, and beat well with a ladle. Add a little salt and dry coriander. Take some yogurt,