Imam bayildi[1] ( Turkish: İmambayıldı,[2] literally: "the imam (priest) is exhilarated";[3] even more literally: "the imam fainted",[1][4]) one of the most notable Turkish zeytinyağlı (olive oil) dishes, is braised eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes. It is a variation of Karnıyarık, which additionally contains minced beef.
It is a vegetarian meze dish, which consists of eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes, then simmered in olive oil. It is served cold.
Imam bayildi is also well known in Iran, Bulgaria, Greece and by Western Armenians by the Turkish name. It is generally known in the Arab world as imam bayouldi.[5] In Greece it is usually served hot.
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The name supposedly derives from a tale of a Turkish imam (priest), who swooned with pleasure at the flavor when presented with this dish by his wife, although other accounts suggest he fainted at the cost of the ingredients or the amount of oil used to cook it.[6]
Another folktale relates that an imam married the daughter of an olive oil merchant. Her dowry consisted of twelve jars of the finest olive oil, with which she prepared each evening eggplant cooked in that oil and with tomatoes and onions. On the thirteenth day, there was no eggplant dish at the table. When informed that there was no more olive oil, the imam fainted.[7]
In Pixar's animated film Ratatouille, the dish of ratatouille served to the food critic Anton Ego was based on confit byaldi, a version of imam bayildi.[8][9]
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