Papoutsakia: Stuffed Eggplant 'Little Shoes' vs Sultan's Delight (Hünkar Beğendi)

Both dishes pair eggplant, tomato-rich meat and a butter-and-milk béchamel, yet they assemble them in opposite ways. Papoutsakia bakes halved eggplants into tender 'shoes', fills them with minced beef simmered with red wine, cinnamon and nutmeg, then crowns them with a thick, cheesy béchamel enriched with egg yolk and baked until golden. Hünkar Beğendi chars whole eggplants until their skin blackens, folding the smoky flesh into a cheesy béchamel to form a creamy base beneath fork-tender lamb braised with green pepper, tomato and bay leaf. The first is spiced and layered, the second smoky and velvety.