İmam bayıldı

Allergens at a glance

• OftenGlutenServed with bread; the dish itself is usually wheat-free.
• SometimesMilkSome restaurants serve it with yoghurt or finish it with cheese or butter.
• SometimesTree nutsA few recipes add pine nuts to the filling.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Usually vegan: aubergine, onion, garlic, tomato, peppers, herbs and olive oil.
• Not to be confused with karnıyarık, the similar dish stuffed with minced meat.
• Usually gluten-free in itself; ask for no bread and check for flour if the sauce is thick.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is imam bayıldı?

İmam bayıldı is a whole aubergine (eggplant), partly peeled, softened in oil, slit open and packed with onions, garlic and tomatoes, then braised slowly in plenty of olive oil until it's silky and almost melting. It's served at room temperature, often as a starter or light main. The name means "the imam fainted", and the usual story is that he swooned at how good it was (or at how much olive oil it took).

What's in it

The filling is sliced onions cooked down with garlic, chopped tomatoes, green peppers, parsley, salt and a little sugar. The aubergine is fried or roasted first, then stuffed and baked or simmered with water and more olive oil.

It belongs to the zeytinyağlılar, the family of Turkish vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil and eaten cold or at room temperature. Some cooks add pine nuts, currants or allspice to the filling, and Greek tavernas serve a version called ιμάμ μπαϊλντί (imám baïldí).

The close cousin is karnıyarık ("split belly"): the same aubergine shape stuffed with minced meat, served hot. If you're vegetarian, make sure which one you've ordered.

Allergens and diets

This is one of the lowest-allergen dishes on a Turkish menu, but a few things can creep in. Bread is always on the table, so gluten arrives that way. A thick sauce could have been thickened with flour in a busy restaurant kitchen, though it isn't traditional.

Milk isn't part of the recipe, but some places serve it with a spoon of yoghurt, finish it with grated cheese, or cook it in butter instead of olive oil. Ask if you avoid dairy.

Pine nuts appear only in some recipes. They're not on the EU and UK list of declarable tree nuts, so mention them by name if they're a problem for you.

On the menu

Look under zeytinyağlılar (olive oil dishes) or soğuk mezeler (cold starters) at a meyhane or a lokanta (home-style canteen). At a lokanta it sits in a tray in the display, so you can point and see exactly what's in it before ordering.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.