Widely associated with Greek cuisine, moussaka was not born there.
The dish originates from the Balkans (Albania, Kossovo), before traveling and evolving (there are many moussaka recipes).
Its name comes from the Arabic mousaqqa'a which means fresh, because the dish is eaten cold there.
It is in fact to a Greek cook that we owe the modern and popular version of moussaka: Nikolaos Tselementes (the Greek Auguste Escoffier) who, in 1910, had the idea of adding béchamel.
Author of the founding book of modern Greek cuisine, his recipe has traveled the world.
The moussaka recipe:
Ingredients for 4 persons :
1 boneless and minced shoulder of lamb
3 eggplants
500 gr of tomato coulis
2 onions, minced
1 clove of garlic
1 bouquet garni
1 glass of white wine
½ liter of bechamel
olive oil
Brown the onions, add the garlic, the meat, the white wine, the bouquet garni and simmer 40 min (the meat must be tender)
Cut the eggplants into slices 0.5 cm thick
Grill the eggplant slices in olive oil and let them rest on a paper towel
Assemble the moussaka by alternating layers of meat, eggplant, tomato coulis and finish with a nice layer of béchamel
Bake for 10 minutes in an oven at 200 ° and brown the top.