Baba ganoush often ends up in the same sentence as hummus, and that is where the misunderstanding begins.
This is not hummus with aubergine
Baba ganoush contains no chickpeas. It is made from grilled aubergine, olive oil, lemon, garlic and a little tahini, and the tahini is a supporting part, not the backbone. Where hummus is a smooth, thick purée built on paste and chickpeas, baba ganoush is looser, coarser and built on smoke.
The name is not unambiguous either. In Lebanon the version with tahini is usually called moutabal, while baba ghanouj there often means a coarser aubergine salad that may not contain tahini at all. What is sold as baba ganoush in Europe is closest to moutabal.
The practical consequence of this: the smoke has to come from the aubergine itself. Put it straight on the flame, on the barbecue or under a grill at full heat until the skin is charred all the way round and the flesh collapses. Baking it in the oven at 200°C gives a perfectly decent aubergine purée, but not this dish.
Ingredients for four
- 2 large aubergines
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove of garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and a little chopped parsley
Method
- Put the aubergines straight on the gas flame, on the barbecue or under a grill at full heat. Turn them until the skin is charred all the way round and they collapse, around 15 to 20 minutes.
- Put them in a bowl with a lid for ten minutes. The skin then comes away more easily.
- Scrape out the flesh and leave it in a sieve for at least 20 minutes. The liquid that drains off is bitter, and if you skip this the dip turns watery.
- Chop the flesh with a knife, not with a stick blender. The texture should be uneven.
- Stir in the tahini, crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt and cumin. Taste as you go, and go carefully with the tahini.
- Spread it in a shallow bowl, draw a spiral with the back of the spoon and pour olive oil into the groove. Scatter over parsley and a little pomegranate molasses.
Frequently asked questions
What does baba ganoush mean?
Baba is an affectionate word for father in Arabic, and ghannuj may be a proper name. The phrase has been translated as everything from spoilt dad to father of coquetry. Whether it refers to a person or to the aubergine itself is unclear.
Which country does baba ganoush come from?
The Levant, with Lebanon and Syria as the core area. Closely related aubergine dips are found across the eastern Mediterranean, from Turkey to Egypt.
What goes with baba ganoush?
Warm flatbread is the most common. Otherwise it belongs on a meze table alongside olives, feta, tabbouleh and hummus, or as a side to grilled meat.
Can you make baba ganoush the day before?
Yes, and many people think it is better for it. The smoky flavour settles. Keep it cold without the olive oil, and add the oil and the garnish just before serving.
How to find the ingredients
Tahini sits under tahini, and a good olive oil tells in a dish with so few ingredients. For the rest of the table: olives and feta. If you want to read more about the sesame paste, we have a guide to tahini. And if you are laying out a full meze table, you will find hummus and tabbouleh here.
