Name: Melitzanes Skordostoubi
Ingredients: 4 large round eggplants, cut along side in pieces; 4 tomatoes, mashed; 6 garlic cloves, mashed in a mortar or with a fork; 50 ml vinegar; Salt; Pepper; Oregano; Cheese (ladotyri from Zakynthos should be used. Use a slightly piquant cheese if ladotyri cannot be found); Olive oil

Why it works: Eggplant and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 157 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Melitzanes Skordostoubi

Time10 minutes

Ingredients

4 large round eggplants, cut along side in pieces
4 tomatoes, mashed
6 garlic cloves, mashed in a mortar or with a fork
50 ml vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Cheese (ladotyri from Zakynthos should be used. Use a slightly piquant cheese if ladotyri cannot be found)
Olive oil

Directions

Fry the eggplant

Fry eggplants in plenty of olive oil until brown and tender.
Add water if you do not want to use too much oil.

Make the tomato sauce

In another saucepan, heat a small amount of olive oil and add tomato mash and half of the garlic.
Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the fried eggplants to the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the eggplants simmer, blend the vinegar with the remaining garlic.

Finish and serve

When the eggplants are ready, remove from heat and pour the vinegar–garlic mixture over them.
Season with oregano and stir well.
Cut medium‑size pieces of cheese and add them to the saucepan.
Let cool and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

307Calories

10 gProtein

23 gFat

17 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Eggplant	1 cup cubed (82g)	35
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Eggplant + oreganotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together157 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Eggplant + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together801 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,767 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggplants: Main body of the dish; frying makes them brown and tender, soaking up the sauce.
Tomatoes: Provide moisture and a fresh, acidic base that forms the sauce.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows during cooking and blends into the sauce.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the rich, oily eggplant.
Cheese: Adds salty, savoury flavour and firmness as it is added to the warm dish.

The step that matters

Frying the eggplant until brown and tender. Eggplant acts like a sponge and soaks up a lot of oil. Frying until fully tender and browned develops flavour and a soft texture, while adding water can reduce the oil absorbed.

Swap the eggplant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, garlic, vinegar, pepper, oregano, cheese, olive):

Capsicumfits about as well
Eggplantthe original
Cucumberfits less well
Spinachfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, garlic, vinegar, pepper, oregano, cheese, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Melitzanes Skordostoubi