Aubergines

If one vegetable could sum up Turkey, it would be the aubergine. Originally from India, aubergines are sometimes referred to as the poor man’s meat. They pop up everywhere, prepared and cooked in infinite ways. During the Ottoman period, the Topkapi Palace alone was known to produce aubergines in forty different ways. Available all year round, they range from the bulbous and gourd-like to the long, slender variety which sometimes stretch to the length of a forearm. The rounder ones are good for grilling over charcoal, while the longer present a perfect shape for stuffing.