Moussaka
Photo: Fotograf: Dieter Mueller (dino1948) Kamera: de:Nikon 885 · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

The modern Greek moussaka was codified by chef Nikolaos Tselementes in the 1920s, who added the French bechamel to an Ottoman-era layered aubergine dish. The result became a fixture of the Athens taverna by the 1950s. Today every mageirio in the city, from Diporto in the central market to Karavitis in Pangrati, runs a daily moussaka from the pan. Best eaten at lunch, when the bechamel is still warm and the layers hold.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 1 hrTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 kg aubergines, sliced 1 cm thick
  • 500g floury potatoes, sliced 5 mm thick
  • Olive oil for frying
  • 600g lamb mince
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 400g tinned plum tomatoes, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • For the bechamel: 80g butter
  • 80g flour
  • 800ml milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 100g grated kefalotyri or parmesan
  • pinch of nutmeg

Method

  1. Salt aubergine slices and rest 30 minutes. Pat dry. Fry in batches in olive oil until golden, drain on paper.
  2. Fry potato slices 4 minutes a side until lightly golden. Drain.
  3. In a saucepan, soften onion in olive oil. Add garlic, then lamb mince, breaking it up. Brown 8 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer 25 minutes until thick.
  5. Make bechamel: melt butter, whisk in flour, then slowly whisk in warm milk. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Off heat, whisk in egg yolks, cheese and nutmeg.
  6. Layer in a baking dish: potatoes, half the aubergine, all the lamb, remaining aubergine. Pour bechamel over the top. Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes until golden. Rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Tip from the editors. The 15-minute rest is non-negotiable; cut too soon and the layers slide. Reheats well the next day.

Where to eat moussaka

Moussaka in Athens

Taverna tou Oikonomou ★ 4.7

€€ GreekPetralona

Taverna tou Oikonomou is a greek room in Petralona. No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.

Why locals goPetralona mageirio that has cooked from the same pans since 1930, far from the centre, with locals at every table and no menu offered.

TipNo microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.

Directions

Karavitis Tavern ★ 4.5

€€ GreekPangrati

Karavitis Tavern on Pausaniou in Pangrati is the 1926 neighbourhood taverna with a rustic courtyard, barrels of house wine and a point-at-trays system.

Why locals goPangrati neighbourhood taverna since 1926 with a rustic courtyard, barrels of house wine, and an order-by-pointing system that keeps the tourist trade away.

TipNo reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.

Directions

Klimataria ★ 4.3

€€ GreekPsyrriUntil Daily until 02:00

Klimataria on Theatre Square in Athens runs until past midnight every night, the Psyrri institution since 1927 where rebetiko plays live and the wine comes.

OrderGigandes plaki, slow-cooked lamb and a half-kilo of the house red from the barrel.

TipLive music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend seatings.

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