Mutabbal

The aubergine goes straight onto the flame or the embers and stays until the skin has blackened all round; that is where the smoke in the taste comes from. The skin is then peeled away and the flesh mashed with tahini, garlic, lemon and salt. It is spread flat on the plate with olive oil in the middle and pomegranate seeds, mint and sumac on top.

Mutabbal or baba ganoush

Most menus use the two names interchangeably, but there is a distinction. Mutabbal describes the version made with tahini; baba ganoush does not require it and, depending on the region, can be nothing more than charred aubergine, olive oil, lemon and spice. Mutabbal literally means seasoned. Ask for baba ganoush in Damascus and what arrives will almost certainly have tahini in it.

The Syrian version

Syria also has a version with sheep cheese folded through, which makes it heavier and rounds off the taste. The garnish is not fixed: some kitchens finish it with pomegranate molasses, others with walnut or red pepper. The plate itself is served cold, never warmed.

Where to eat it

One of the first three plates on a mezze table, arriving with hummus and muhammara. Ordering it alongside the grill is common, because charred aubergine carries the fat of the meat well. For a vegetarian traveller it is the safest plate of the mezze round — no meat, and no dairy either unless you have been given the cheese version.

How to order it

If you want it without tahini you have to say so; tahini is the default. Garlic varies from cook to cook, so ask for it light when you order. Asking for the bread to come out hot is worth the sentence.