Cold Fried Eggplant

Eggplants from Yuno's Farm

Salty slices of cold fried eggplant are the perfect thing for long shabes afternoons in the summer, and they turn up in the repertoire of many Jewish traditions. These are as irresistible as potato chips. Thinner slices will yield crispier chips, and slightly thicker slices will be fleshly and satiny.

Cold Fried Eggplant

Eggplants (any kind)

Olive oil (it has to be olive oil for this recipe)

Kosher salt

Slice eggplants crosswise ¼ to 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt and allow them to drain in a colander for an hour or more. Squeeze the drained eggplants and pat them dry. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (be liberal), and fry the slices on both sides to golden brown. Drain on paper towels or brown paper and salt to taste.

The Yiddish word for eggplant is patlezhan פּאַטלעזשאַן

See Language Hat's landmark post on eggplant-words, and don't miss the comments by eggplant-poet Peter Desmond:

For colds, take antihistamines.
For everything else, eat aubergines.