| Eggplant papoutsaki | |
| Region: | Greece and Turkey |
| Served: | Hot |
Eggplant papoutsaki (Greek: μελιντζάνα παπουτσάκι) (Turkish: Patlıcan pabucaki)[1] is an eggplant dish of the Greek cuisine and Turkish cuisine. Papoutsaki is a Greek word meaning, "little shoes." "Papuc" or "papuç" is a Persian word "pâpuš" (پاپوش) that is also used in Turkish and has the meaning of "shoe" or "slipper". The basic dish consists of eggplants which have been boiled or roasted and the tops cut off lengthwise, (which is why they resemble little shoes). The flesh is scooped out and mixed with other ingredients, sometimes ground beef, sometimes eggs, green peppers or bell peppers, green onions, tomatoes, lemon, and olive oil. It is topped with a hard, salty cheese such as kefalotyri, Mihaliç Peyniri or kasseri and grilled.[2]