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Turkey (Ottoman / pan-Turkish) · Turkish

İmam Bayıldı (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant in Olive Oil)

The eggplant dish so good 'the imam fainted': whole eggplant braised soft in olive oil and stuffed with a sweet tangle of onion, garlic and tomato. Served at room temperature, it's the star of the Turkish olive-oil table.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 24, 2026

Whole braised eggplant split open and stuffed with a glossy tangle of sweet onion, garlic and tomato, glistening in olive oil on a plate with parsley and a lemon wedge.

İmam bayıldı — 'the imam fainted' — is one of the most famous of Turkey's zeytinyağlı dishes, the vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil and served cold or at room temperature. Legend says an imam swooned, whether from the dish's deliciousness or at the amount of precious olive oil it used. It's a meatless cousin of the stuffed karnıyarık, and a centrepiece of the meze and summer table.

Yield
Serves 4
Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 hr 15 min
Difficulty
Intermediate

İmam bayıldı — literally “the imam fainted” — is the most romantically named dish in this collection, and one of the best things anyone has ever done to an eggplant. Whole aubergines are braised soft in olive oil and stuffed with a sweet, slow-cooked tangle of onion, garlic and tomato, then served cool. The legend says an imam swooned at the table; whether from delight or at the sheer quantity of precious olive oil, no one agrees.

Fry first, then braise

The silky texture is built in two stages. First the whole eggplants are fried in olive oil until collapsed and golden — this is what sweetens the flesh and lets it braise to melting softness later; under-fried eggplant stays spongy. Then a separate filling of onions and garlic is cooked slowly until sweet, with tomato added and reduced to a thick jam. That sweetness against the rich eggplant is the whole character of the dish, so don’t rush the onions.

An olive-oil dish, served cool

İmam bayıldı belongs to the zeytinyağlı family — Turkish vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil and eaten at room temperature, never hot. After stuffing the eggplants and braising them gently in oil and a little water until completely tender, let them cool so the flavours round out and settle. It’s an ideal make-ahead dish, genuinely better the next day, finished simply with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

For more of the Turkish table, try köfte and menemen, or browse the full recipe collection.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the eggplant

  • 4 small-medium eggplant / aubergine Long, slim ones hold their shape best. Peel in stripes, leaving alternating bands of skin.
  • for shallow frying olive oil

For the filling

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, sliced Generous garlic is traditional here.
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the braise

  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 120 ml hot water
  • lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Peel the eggplant in stripes and fry them whole in olive oil, turning, until softened and golden all over. Lift out and set aside.

    Why: Frying first collapses and sweetens the flesh so it braises to a silky softness — pale, under-fried eggplant stays spongy and bland.

  2. In the same pan, slowly cook the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and sweet, 10-12 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and most of the parsley and cook to a thick jam.

    Why: A long, gentle cook turns the onions sweet and the tomato into a concentrated filling — this sweetness against the rich eggplant is the soul of the dish.

  3. Sit the eggplant in a snug pan. Slit each one lengthways to make a pocket and prise it open, then stuff generously with the onion mixture.

    Why: A deep pocket holds plenty of filling; keeping the eggplant whole means it presents beautifully and holds its shape.

  4. Pour the hot water and a little more olive oil around the eggplant, cover, and braise gently for 30-40 minutes until completely tender.

    Why: The low, slow braise in oil and water is the zeytinyağlı method — it cooks the eggplant to melting softness and develops a glossy, savoury sauce.

  5. Cool to room temperature (or chill), then serve with the pan juices, extra parsley and lemon.

    Why: İmam bayıldı is an olive-oil dish meant to be eaten cool or at room temperature, when its flavours are fullest — never served hot.

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Variations

  • Karnıyarık (with meat)

    Stuff the eggplant with a cooked spiced lamb-and-onion mixture instead for the meaty sibling of imam bayıldı, served hot.

  • With pine nuts and currants

    Add a spoon of pine nuts and soaked currants to the filling for an Ottoman, slightly sweeter character.

  • Oven-roasted (lighter)

    Roast the halved eggplant until soft instead of shallow-frying whole, then stuff and bake — less oil, still excellent.

Serving & Storage

Serve at room temperature as a meze or light main, with bread, rice pilav, and a bowl of yogurt on the side. A squeeze of lemon over the top lifts the richness.

Pairs with: Crusty bread or rice pilav, Thick yogurt, A crisp white or rosé.

Storage: Keeps 4 days refrigerated and tastes even better after a day. Always serve cool or at room temperature, not hot.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 eggplant)

Calories
290
Protein
4 g
Carbs
22 g
Fat
22 g
Fiber
8 g
Sugar
12 g
Sodium
480 mg

Notable micronutrients: Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin A, Fiber

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it served cold?

It's a zeytinyağlı (olive-oil) dish, a whole category of Turkish vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil and eaten cool or at room temperature. The flavours are rounder and fuller that way — serving it piping hot misses the point.

How do I keep the eggplant from being greasy?

Fry it in hot (not lukewarm) oil so it browns rather than soaks, drain it well, and use the braising liquid to finish cooking. Roasting instead of frying is the lightest route of all.

Can I make it ahead?

Absolutely — it's designed for it. İmam bayıldı improves overnight as the eggplant soaks up the sweet onion-tomato filling and oil, making it an ideal make-ahead dish for a spread.

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