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The eggplant caviar on Romanian plates is the ultimate spring harbinger, the same way the snowdrop is for everything else. At the beginning of spring - that officially arrives in Romania on the 1st of March, and in spite of the fact that sometimes there are several centimeters of snow on the streets even when April is there - all good hearted cook (and cooking is almost the exclusive realm of women in Romania) joyfully rushes to open the jars full of roasted eggplants she stored in her freezer or larder, to make this tasty starter of oriental influences.
Located in Eastern Europe (some are placing it at the Eastern side of Central Europe) Romania was under the authority of Ottoman Empire for more than 4 centuries (from 1396 to 1878) which means that it inevitably borrowed and adapted Turkish (and Greek) dishes to its climate and ingredients, dishes that you'll get to recognize over time, provided that I get to post them as frequently as I wish to :) And then it did the same with other dishes and other influences which I'll definitely tell you about when the time comes. Mysteryyy!!!...
Well, here goes the eggplant caviar recipe (salata de vinete), my own gourmet way to emphasize the arrival of spring and the transition to lighter food. Winter is finally gone!!! ...at least on paper...