Escalivada (Grilled Vegetables) vs Melitzanosalata: Traditional Greek Smoky Eggplant Dip

Both dishes start by roasting eggplant until charred and very soft, then steaming and peeling it, but they end up in very different places. Escalivada keeps its eggplant, red peppers, onion and tomatoes in long, thick strips, scattered with thinly sliced garlic and dressed generously with olive oil, with vinegar and parsley only as optional touches. Melitzanosalata drains the eggplant and mashes it by hand into a chunky-but-smooth dip, sharpened with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and finely chopped red onion. One is a platter of tender, oil-rich vegetables; the other, a bright, tangy spread for pita.