If there is one dish that smells of family Sundays to us, it is parmigiana di melanzane (aubergine parmigiana). We have eaten it hot, warm and even cold the next day, and each time we have wondered which version was best. In Naples there is only one answer: the one made slowly, layer by layer.
A disputed history
The origin of parmigiana has long been argued over between Campania, Sicily and Emilia. Aubergines reached the Mediterranean with Arab merchants, and in Sicily the dish has ancient roots. But the first written recipes resembling ours speak Neapolitan.
In the eighteenth century Vincenzo Corrado, cook to the noble families of Naples, suggested aubergines cooked in layers with cheese in his Il cuoco galante. In 1837 Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino, described "molignane a la parmisciana" in his Cucina teorico-pratica: frying (1839) and slices of mozzarella (1844) appear in later editions. There are various theories about the name: some link it to Parmigiano cheese, others to the Sicilian word parmiciana, the overlapping slats of shutters.
The ingredients
For a baking dish serving 6 you will need:
- 1.5 kg of long aubergines
- tomato passata, ideally San Marzano
- 400 g of fior di latte or well-drained mozzarella
- plenty of grated Parmigiano
- basil, garlic or onion, extra virgin olive oil and oil for frying, salt
The traditional method
- Cut the aubergines into slices half a centimetre thick, salt them and leave them in a colander for about an hour, then dry them well.
- Make a simple sauce: oil, garlic or onion, the passata and a few basil leaves. Cook it until it thickens.
- Fry the slices in hot oil until golden and lay them on kitchen paper.
- In a baking dish, alternate sauce, aubergines, diced mozzarella, Parmigiano and basil, in four or five layers. Finish with sauce and cheese.
- Bake at 180 °C for about 40 minutes, until the edges form a crust.
- Leave to rest for at least half an hour before cutting: the slices will hold together.
The variations
In many Neapolitan homes sliced hard-boiled eggs or a little salami are added. Then there is "indorata" (golden) parmigiana, with the aubergines dipped in flour and egg before frying, softer and richer. Those who want a lighter dish grill or bake them: good, but not the same thing. In Sicily pecorino or caciocavallo is often used, and in summer the version with courgettes is worth trying too. Parmigiana di melanzane is recognised as a traditional agri-food product in Campania and other regions of the South.
Where to taste it and what is nearby
In Naples you will find it in trattorias and rosticcerie, often also as a takeaway portion. To make it at home, we recommend the Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-nocerino DOP grown around San Marzano sul Sarno and the mozzarella from the area of Battipaglia and the Sele plain, described in Mozzarella di bufala campana DOP. To complete your journey through regional cuisine, read Typical Neapolitan dishes, Typical dishes of Salerno and What to eat in Naples; to start from the regional capital there is Naples and its surroundings.
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