Moussaka

Origin
Place of origin	Middle East (cooked salad form), Greece (3-layer form), Turkey (saute form), Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia (3-layer form)
Details
Course	Main course
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Aubergine or potatoes, meat
Variations	Multiple

Moussaka is an aubergine (eggplant) based dish of the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The best known variation outside the region is the Greek one.^[1]

Names and etymology[link]

The name comes from the Arabic: مسقعة‎ musaqqaʿa 'chilled'.^[2][3] This name is used in Greek cuisine (μουσακάς), Turkish (musakka), and the South Slavic languages (musaka/мусака). Other languages call it simply "eggplant casserole" (e.g. Hungarian rakott padlizsán).

Preparation[link]

Most versions are based primarily on sautéed eggplant (aubergine) and tomato, usually with minced meat. The Greek version includes layers of meat and aubergine topped with a white sauce/Béchamel sauce and baked. Turkish musakka, on the other hand, is not layered. Instead, it is prepared with sautéed aubergines, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat. It is eaten with cacık and pilaf. There are also variants with zucchini, carrots and potatoes. The Serbian version and Bulgarian version use potatoes instead of aubergines, pork mince and the top layer is yogurt mixed with raw eggs and a couple of spoons of flour. In the Arab world, moussaka is a cooked salad made up primarily of tomatoes and aubergine, similar to Italian caponata, and is usually served cold as a mezze dish.

The modern Greek version was probably invented by Tselementes in the 1920s.^[4] It has three layers: a bottom layer of sautéed aubergine slices; a middle layer of cooked ground beef cooked with onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, herbs, and spices (cinnamon, allspice and black pepper); and a top layer of béchamel sauce or egg custard. The composed dish is baked until the top layer is browned. Moussaka is usually served lukewarm.

In Serbia and Bulgaria there is also a three-layer version: the bottom layer consists of ground pork and beef, the middle layer slices of potatoes, the top layer a custard. Each layer is cooked on its own and layered in a pan and baked until the top layer is browned.

In the rest of the Balkans, the top layer is often a custard. This is the version which was introduced into the UK by Elizabeth David's Mediterranean Cookery and where it remains as the "classic" presentation. Grated cheese or bread crumbs are often sprinkled on top.

There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. The most common variant in Greece may include courgette (zucchini), part-fried potatoes or sautéed mushrooms in addition to the aubergine. There is even a fast-day version in the Greek cookbook by Tselementes which includes neither meat nor béchamel sauce, just vegetables (ground aubergine is used instead of ground meat), tomato sauce, and bread crumbs. In some cases, moussaka is also decoratively layered on top of grape leaves (a common ingredient in Greek cuisine, also used for example in dolmades).

See also[link]

• Karnıyarık

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Musaka

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Moussaka

Eddie Henderson (born September 11, 1967 in Seattle, Washington) is a retired U.S. soccer player and current Nevada Director of Youth Coaching. Henderson spent two seasons in the Western Soccer League, one in the American Professional Soccer League, one season in Major Soccer League and seven in the National Professional Soccer League. He also played for the U.S. at the U-17 and U-20 levels.

High school and college[link]

Henderson, the youngest of 18 children, grew up in Seattle, Washington where he played for the Seattle Kickers, a local youth club. In 1985 the Kickers won the WSYSA championship. Henderson attended O'Dea High School where he played both basketball and soccer. After he graduated from high school, Henderson attended the University of Washington from 1985 to 1989 where he played on the men’s soccer team. In 1989, he was a third team All American. He finished his four years with 29 goals and 21 assists.

Professional[link]

While in college, Henderson spent two seasons as a forward with the Seattle Storm of the Western Soccer League (WSL). In 1988, he was selected as a first team WSL All Star.^[1] In 1989, he was a second team All Star. After graduating from the University of Washington, Henderson spent one more season with the Storm, the last in its existence as it folded at the end of the 1990 season. The Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League drafted Henderson, but he signed with the San Diego Sockers. The Sockers cut him four games into the 1990-1991 season and he signed with the Milwaukee Wave of the American Indoor Soccer Association in January 1991.^[2] In 1992, Henderson signed with the Wichita Wings of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and remained with the team through the 1997-1998 season.

Junior national teams[link]

Henderson spent time with the U.S. U-17 and U.S. U-23 national team. He was on the roster for the U.S. at the 1987 U-20 World Cup.^[3]

Coaching[link]

After he retired from professional soccer, Henderson spent time as the junior varsity coach at O’Dea High School. He was also a coach with the Wichita Jets of PDSL for the team’s single season in 2001.^[4]

Henderson also spent time as a stockbrocker.^[5] However, he was unable to remain away from soccer and he became the Kansas Director of Youth Coaching before moving to Nevada where he currently holds the same position.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Las Vegas Sun bio
• Husky statistics
• 1990 Storm profile
• MISL stats