Baba ghanoush?

Burning an aubergine is probably the most effective tool of the Jerusalemite cook, as it is of many others throughout the region. Over the years we have cooked dozens of salads based on this super-popular technique. The aubergine pulp can be used in many contexts — stews, soups (SEE BURNT AUBERGINE AND MOGRABIEH SOUP), with roasted meat or fish (SEE FISH AND CAPER KEBABS) — but essentially it is in the department of salad and dips that it comes into its glorious own. The variations are numerous and depend on regions and cultures. You would think that everybody would live together in tolerant, yet smoky, harmony. Not quite.