Hünkar beğendi is a Turkish main course of meat served on aubergine purée, known as beğendi. Aubergine is also called eggplant. At Beyoğlu, the dish combines lamb, aubergine purée and tomato sauce. The vegetable base is part of the mouthful rather than a separate side, making this a different choice from a plate of individual grilled meats.
What does beğendi mean on a menu?
In this dish, beğendi refers to the aubergine preparation beneath the meat. It is not mashed potato with a little aubergine added: aubergine is the base in its own right.
One preparation of beğendi combines roasted aubergine with butter, flour, milk and kaşar, a Turkish cheese. The meat is prepared separately and served on top. Recipes vary; ask at Beyoğlu about the exact ingredients if they affect your choice.
The purée does more than a sauce poured over the meat: it forms the base of the plate. You may also see beğendili attached to another dish name, indicating that aubergine base. With beğendili köfte, for example, meatballs sit on top instead.
Why the meat and aubergine belong in one mouthful
Try a little purée with a piece of meat and some tomato sauce. The contrast is the point: the meat gives the bite structure, while the purée provides a softer base. Eating each element in isolation misses what bringing them together does.
When choosing your main course, think about the kind of dish you want, not simply which one contains lamb. Hünkar beğendi makes sense if you enjoy meat, vegetables and sauce together on the fork. If you would rather taste separate pieces of meat on their own, a grill dish may be closer to what you have in mind.
How is hünkar beğendi different from alinazik?
The two are easy to confuse because both bring meat and aubergine together. A yoghurt-based version of alinazik from Gaziantep combines roasted aubergine with strained yoghurt and garlic, topped with cooked minced meat. That differs from the beğendi base described above, which uses milk, flour, butter and cheese.
The names describe a different construction, even though both plates bring meat and aubergine together. Beyoğlu lists hünkar beğendi. If you are looking specifically for alinazik, keep that distinction in mind.
What about the story of the sultan?
Stories link hünkar beğendi to the Ottoman palace kitchen. The different explanations of its name are legends, rather than a single proven account of its invention.
Choosing lamb or beğendili köfte
The Beyoğlu menu also offers beğendili köfte: lamb meatballs over aubergine purée with tomato sauce. The base connects the two dishes, but the meat is different. Choose the köfte if you prefer meatballs; it is not simply another name for the same lamb dish.
If you would like to try hünkar beğendi in the Netherlands, find it at Beyoğlu, Eerste Oosterparkstraat 251B in Amsterdam Oost. Check the menu for the current price and other dishes, or plan your visit.
