Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is the mezze table’s smoky, soulful answer to hummus. Eggplants are blistered over an open flame until the skins char and the flesh collapses, then blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic into a dip that tastes like summer cookouts in Beirut. Like hummus, it starts with tahini and lemon, but the fire-roasted eggplant gives it a character all its own.

Smoke-kissed eggplant, silky and tart

The char is the whole point: it gives the dip a deep, woodsy flavor you cannot get any other way. The flesh turns creamy and almost custardy, balanced by tangy lemon and nutty tahini, with a final slick of olive oil and a scatter of parsley. Serve it with pita, use it as a spread, or set it next to hummus — it is the quiet scene-stealer of any spread. If you do not have a gas burner, a very hot oven broiler does a fine job, too.

Craving more? Explore all Lebanese Kitchen recipes.

This dish is built from Middle Eastern pantry staples — explore all 20 in our guide to 20 essential Middle Eastern pantry ingredients.

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