While not a typical ingredient in Hungarian cuisine, Padlizsán (“POD-LEE-ZSH-AN”) is increasingly popular and sold widely in the country’s food markets. When not used for making “foreign” dishes it is usually eaten breaded, fried in oil and accompanied by cooked rice. It is sometimes called tojásgyümölcs (“egg fruit”) and törökparadicsom (“Turkish tomato”), the latter due to Turkey’s influence on Hungary stemming from the Ottoman occupation of the country in the middle of the last millennium.
For related information, see gyümölcs (fruit) and zöldség (vegetables).
