History of the dish
The progenitor of modern mousaka is a dish called Magum, the recipe of which was preserved in the Arabic cookbook of the 13th century. This ancient dish is somewhat similar to the classic Greek eggplant. This book also contains a recipe for "musakhan" - a dish that belongs to the Lebanese cuisine and is being prepared in our days in the Middle East. However, it has nothing to do with the classical recipe.
It is not possible to set an exact date for the appearance of the moussaka. It is believed that it could appear at the dawn of ancient Greek cooking. Thus, the history of this dish is about three thousand years old. For many years the Greek territory was under the yoke of the Turks, which could bring not only their culture, but also national culinary traditions. Eastern cuisine adapted to the opportunities of Mediterranean bounty, which led to the emergence of moussaka.
According to one version, the very word "moussaka" comes from the Arabic "musaqqa", which means "chilled" (the verb "saqqa" - to cool). In Arab countries, this dish is called a cold salad of tomatoes and aubergines, which resembles an Italian caponate. There is also a legend that "moussaka" means "juicy", which very accurately reflects the peculiarity of the dish.
Features of cooking moussaki in different cuisines of the peoples of the world
The taste qualities of Turkish and Greek moussaki are very different. Turks instead of eggplants use zucchini or even peas, and the products are stewed all together, and not laid out layers. In Moldova, the same dish is cooked half with meat half with vegetables, although there is also a whole vegetable moussaka. But the Bulgarian version of the dish is all kinds of casserole minced meat with potatoes. Greek moussaka is more like a Bulgarian "gyuvech", which means "freebie".
In Greece, a moussaka is a puffed casserole made of lamb, tomatoes and eggplants filled with white sauce. The Balkan version of the dish (in Romania, Serbia and Bosnia) does not involve the use of aubergines - instead of them add ripe tomatoes. Not infrequently other vegetables are added to moussaka - onions, cabbage, zucchini, potatoes. In Croatia, more noodles and mushrooms are added.
Recipe of the classic Moldovan moussaka
To prepare this dish you will need eggplants, onions and tomatoes, which are pre-cleaned and washed. Lamb is the most common ingredient in this version of moussaka, less often veal, and even less often - pork. The ratio of meat and vegetables should be 1: 1. The washed meat is cut into small pieces, like goulash, and the vegetables - in circles. Sometimes in moussaka additionally add either cabbage, or potatoes, or zucchini.
Then, in the greased form, first lay eggplants, then tomatoes, onions, other vegetables and the last layer of meat, then repeat all the layers again. After every two or three layers the dish is salted and spilled with spices (garlic, bay leaf, parsley, dill, ground pepper). Pieces of meat are salted and peppered separately. The last layer of the dish should be vegetable. All this is topped with vegetable oil, sour cream and sent to the oven for an hour.
The dish is sliced like cake on the cake so that the layers do not mix. Above, the moussaka is poured with juice from the form in which it is baked, sprinkled with fresh herbs. Eat this dish hot with fresh bread and a green salad.
Greek and Cypriot moussaka
The peculiarity of cooking moussaki in Greece and Cyprus is that this dish is baked and served in clay pots. The Cypriot version of moussaka is considered one of the most delicious. All the ingredients of the dish are pre-fried in olive oil, then they are piled in clay pots and filled with béchamel sauce. Meat is used for ram meat.
In Greece, a moussaka is often cooked on a baking sheet with high sides, on which layers are laid out with vegetables (the layer should be large) and meat, alternating these layers. Then the dish is filled with white milk or sour cream sauce and sent to the oven for one hour. Instead of a sauce, sometimes use a mixture of grated cheese and beaten eggs. This creates the dish a strong aromatic crust.
In each of the restaurants of these countries to taste moussaka will be very different. It depends on the ingredients used, which vary in ability and desire, as well as the set of spices, seasonings and spices that are added to this dish.