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Imam bayildi

2 stages from Ottoman Turkish to English.

Today it means a Turkish dish of aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic and tomato, cooked in olive oil

Where does the word "imam bayildi" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish imam bayıldı, adopted directly into English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
imam bayıldı
Ottoman Turkish · 1600s-1800s
"the imam fainted"
'the imam fainted', from a tale of an imam who swooned at its taste, or at the cost of the olive oil
2
Stage 2 of 2
imam bayildi
English · 1900s
"stuffed aubergine dish"
kept untranslated in English cookbooks of Middle Eastern food
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Read the full story

Imam bayildi’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: imam bayıldı meant “the imam fainted.” 'the imam fainted', from a tale of an imam who swooned at its taste, or at the cost of the olive oil. It reached English by 1900s as imam bayildi. Kept untranslated in English cookbooks of Middle Eastern food. Today, imam bayildi means a Turkish dish of aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic and tomato, cooked in olive oil.