The way my Nanni made eggplant parmigiana is noting like you get today. First she sliced the eggplant very thin. Breaded and baked it. Second she did not use mozzarella cheese.
No mozzarella cheese??? How can it be eggplant parmigiana without mozzarella cheese?
If it were called eggplant mozzarella than I can see you asking that. But it’s called eggplant parmigiana for a reason, because it should be made with plenty of Parmigiana cheese. Americans added Mozzarella cheese to this dish, along with anything else they call “Parmigiana”. This is a true eggplant Parmigiana the way my grandmother made it many years ago. It’s simple, authentic and very delicious. The taste of the eggplant really comes out without being hidden by all that mozzarella . The secret to this dish is fresh ingredients basil and use a good fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The next day’s leftovers are great for sandwiches.
by Brotosaurus1991
1 Comment
This looks good. You seem very excited about excluding mozzarella, which is mentioned both by the [Cucina Italiana](https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/ricetta/primi/parmigiana-di-melanzane/) and the [Cucchiaio d’Argento](https://www.cucchiaio.it/ricetta/ricetta-parmigiana-melanzane/) recipes. So, I would suggest it is more accurate to call this your nonna’s variation on the classic Italian recipe. Note that the article on La Cucina Italiana mentions that this dish originates from Southern Italy as apparently “parmigiana” sounded like “persiana”, which is a window shade of shingled wood.