What is Melanzane al cioccolato?

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TasteAtlas · Accepted Answer

Melanzana al cioccolato is a traditional dessert originating from the Amalfi coast. It consists of eggplant slices that are covered in chocolate sauce, which is why the dessert is also known as parmigiana di melanzane al cioccolate.

It's made with eggplants, flour, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, milk, cocoa, almonds, pine nuts, and chocolate. The eggplant slices are fried in oil until soft, and each slice is then dipped in flour and beaten eggs, then fried again until golden.

While still warm, the slices are sprinkled with a combination of sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon. When the chocolate sauce is ready, it's ladled over the pre-arranged eggplant slices over and over again, just like making a savory parmigiana. The dessert is fully cooled before serving, and it's traditionally prepared for Ferragosto, a national summer holiday that takes place on August 15. Read more

There are a few variations on the dish, so in the town of Maiori near Amalfi, the filling contains ricotta, while others add crumbled amaretti to the filling, and the dessert is often accompanied by a glass of iced limoncello. It is believed that melanzana al cioccolato was invented by the sisters of the order Agostiniane di Santa Maria della Misericordia, while others claim that it was invented by local Franciscan monks at a monastery in Tramonti.

There is one other theory as well, that the dish was brought to the country by invading Saracens. Chocolate eggplant gained international recognition when a nephew of Tsar Nicholas II tried it at the Grand Hotel Cocumella.