* Legends about the recipe’s name:

One version highlights how much olive oil is used.

It is said that the imam’s wife prepared this special dish with a generous amount of oil, which was once an expensive ingredient. Thus, the imam fainted when he saw so much olive oil in the meal and thought of the cost.

Another tradition tells of an imam who was married to the daughter of an olive oil merchant.

Her dowry consisted of twelve jars of the finest olive oil, with which the woman cooked an eggplant with tomatoes and onions every evening.

On the thirteenth day, when there was no oil on the table for dinner, the imam lost consciousness.

This legend reminds me of Pirandello’s theatrical text: “La Giara”.