Kyopoolou (Bulgarian Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread)
Local name: Кьопоолу
In short: Smoky roasted eggplant, red peppers and tomato chopped with garlic, parsley, sunflower oil and vinegar into a rustic spread for bread. It takes about 1 h 10 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 135 kcal
Kyopoolou is a smoky spread of roasted eggplant, sweet red peppers and tomato, chopped by hand and seasoned with garlic, parsley, oil and a splash of vinegar. Bulgarians serve it cold as a meze with bread, or next to grilled meat and fried fish. The flavor depends on charring the vegetables well, ideally over a flame, so that the skins blacken and the flesh turns soft and sweet.
Instructions
- Heat the grill or oven to 240°C (475°F). Prick the eggplants with a fork and put them on a lined tray with the whole peppers and tomatoes.
- Roast, turning every 10 minutes, until the eggplant skins are wrinkled and the flesh has collapsed, 35 to 45 minutes. The peppers should be blistered and the tomatoes soft, which takes 20 to 25 minutes, so take them out earlier.
- Put the peppers in a bowl and cover for 10 minutes. Peel the peppers and tomatoes and remove the pepper seeds.
- Slit the eggplants, scoop out the flesh and drain it in a sieve for 10 minutes, pressing gently to remove the bitter liquid.
- Chop everything finely with a knife to a coarse spread. Do not puree it.
- Stir in the garlic, oil, vinegar, parsley and salt and taste for seasoning.
- Leave for 30 minutes so the flavors blend and serve at room temperature with bread.
Tips
- Char the vegetables well, because the flavor comes from blackened skins. Use a grill or a gas flame if you can, turning often.
- Draining the eggplant keeps the spread from turning watery. Add the garlic raw for a sharper bite, or stir it into the oil first for a gentler one.
Questions and answers
How is kyopoolou different from lyutenitsa?
Kyopoolou is made from freshly roasted eggplant, peppers and tomato, seasoned raw and eaten within days. Lyutenitsa is cooked down for an hour or more and preserved in jars.
How long does kyopoolou keep?
Keep it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days and stir before serving.
Can I freeze kyopoolou?
It freezes, but the texture turns watery after thawing. Drain off the extra liquid and reseason it before serving.
How long does it take to make Kyopoolou (Bulgarian Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread)?
About 1 h 10 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Kyopoolou (Bulgarian Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread)?
About 135 kcal per serving, with 3 g of protein, 16 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 135 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Sodium | 390 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
