Imam Biyaldi

A vegetable dish that changed my life!

Imam Biyaldi, or “the imam fainted,” is a dish I fell in love with during my time at Oleana. There are two possible origin stories to this Ottoman dish. The first being that the imam fainted because the stuffed eggplant with garlic and tomatoes was so delicious. The second being that he fainted due to the amount of very expensive olive oil used in its production during his 12 day wedding feast. Whatever the lore, it is a tantalizing dish!