Escalivada (Grilled Vegetables) vs İmam Bayıldı (Stuffed Eggplant in Olive Oil)

Both dishes lean on eggplant, peppers, tomato, onion and generous olive oil, yet treat them very differently. Escalivada roasts or grills the vegetables whole until the skins blister, steams and peels them, then slices them into tender strips dressed with raw sliced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, with vinegar and parsley as optional touches. İmam Bayıldı fries salted eggplant halves until golden, fills them with a soft, slowly cooked mixture of onion, garlic, tomato and pepper balanced by a little sugar, and bakes them until fork-tender, with lemon served alongside.