Baba Ghanoush

If you think that hummus is the best dip there is, try Baba Ghanoush, a Middle Eastern dish of cooked eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and various seasonings. Interestingly, the name means  "pampered papa" or "coy daddy", perhaps with reference to a member of a royal harem.

The eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. It is a typical meze (starter), often eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is popular in the Levant (area covering Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria) as well as in Armenia.

A similar dish, but with mashed eggplants and without other vegetables, is known as mutabbal but is called baba ghanoush in Egypt.