The modernGreek variant was created in the 1920s byNikolaos Tselementes. Many versions have a top layer made of milk-based sauce thickened with egg (custard) or flour (béchamel sauce). InGreece, the dish is layered and typically served hot.Tselementes also proposed a vegan variant fororthodox fast days. Romania also has a vegan version that replaces meat with mushrooms or a mix of sautéed onions and rice.
The versions inEgypt,Turkey and the rest of theMiddle East are quite different. In Egypt,mesaqa‘ah can be madevegan orvegetarian as well as with meat; in all cases, the main ingredient is the fried aubergine. In Turkey,mussaka consists of thinly sliced and fried aubergine served in a tomato-based meat sauce, warm or at room temperature. InSaudi Arabia,muṣagga‘a is eaten hot, but in otherArab countries, it is often eaten cold, but occasionally hot as well.
Most versions are based primarily onsautéedaubergine (eggplant) andtomato, usually with minced meat, mostly lamb. TheGreek version includes layers of meat and aubergine topped with abéchamel ("white") sauce and baked.
The modern Greek version was created by the French-trained Greek chefNikolaos Tselementes in the 1920s.[2][3] His recipe has three layers that are separately cooked before being combined for the final baking: a bottom layer of sliced aubergine sautéed in olive oil; a middle layer of ground lamb lightly cooked with chopped or puréed tomatoes, onion,garlic, andspices (cinnamon,allspice andblack pepper); and a top layer ofbéchamel sauce or savourycustard.[4]
There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no top sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. Such variants may include, in addition to the aubergine slices, sautéedzucchini (courgette) slices, part-fried potato slices, or sautéedmushrooms. There is afast-day (vegan) version in Tselementes' cookbook, which includes neither meat nor dairy products, just vegetables (ground aubergine is used instead of ground meat), tomato sauce, and bread crumbs.[4]
InAlbania,[5]Bulgaria,[6] theformer Yugoslavia,[7][8][9] andRomania, potatoes are used instead of aubergine, pork or beef mince, and the top layer is usually milk or yogurt mixed with raw eggs, sometimes with a small amount of flour added. There is also a three-layer version: the bottom layer consists of ground pork and beef, the middle layer of potato slices, and the top layer is typically acustard. Each layer is cooked on its own and layered in a pan and baked until the top is browned.
Typically, the Romanian version is made with potatoes or aubergine or cabbage. The layers start with the vegetable, then the layer of meat (usually pork), then vegetables, until the pot is full. Sometimes bread crumbs are used as a topping, sometimes slices of tomatoes and crushed cheese. The pot is then filled with tomato sauce. There is also a pasta variant, with pasta being used instead of vegetables. The "fasting" variant, which is vegan, replaces meat with mushrooms or a mix of sautéed onions and rice.
In the rest of theBalkans, the top layer is often a custard; this is the version introduced to the UK byElizabeth David'sMediterranean Cookery and where it remains the usual presentation. Grated cheese or bread crumbs are often sprinkled on top.[citation needed] The potato version is also the most commonly used version inNorway, despite the most common of those potato versions (Toro) being incorrectly marketed as "Greek moussaka".[10]
InLebanon, moussaka is a cooked dish made up primarily of tomatoes and aubergine, similar toSiciliancaponata, and may also includechickpeas. It may be served cold as amezze dish, or hot.[11][12][13]
Egypt
TheEgyptian version of moussaka,mesaqa‘ah, is made from layers of fried aubergine immersed in tomato sauce and then baked. A layer of seasoned cooked ground beef is usually added between the aubergine before baking.[14][15][16] The dish can be served hot but is usually chilled for a day or so to improve the taste.[citation needed][17]
Turkishmusakka is not layered.[18] Instead, thinly sliced aubergine isfried and served in tomato-based meat sauce seasoned withgreen peppers, garlic andonions.[19] It is generally eaten withpilav andcacık. There are also variants withzucchini (courgettes,kabak musakka), carrots (havuç musakka) and potatoes (patates musakka).[citation needed]
^Aglaia Kremezi, "Nikolas Tselementes",Cooks and Other People, Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery,p. 167: "before Tselementes there was nomoussaka, as we know it today"
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