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    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Romanian

    Romanian Eggplant Salad - Vinete

    Published by: Adina July 3, 2017 ยท Last modified: June 25, 2024 33 Comments
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    pinterest image for eggplant salad.

     

    The recipe for vinete - the traditional Romanian eggplant salad or dip made with roasted eggplants and mayonnaise or oil.

    roasted eggplant salad vinete

    Vinete or roasted eggplant salad or dip is probably the most common thing to eat in Romania during summer.

    Here you have it: an updated post for the vinete recipe or eggplant salad describing in detail each method of grilling eggplants, roasting eggplants on the stovetop, or baking eggplants in the oven.

    Use those wonderfully roasted eggplants to make the most delicious Romanian roasted eggplant or aubergine salad, dressed with mayonnaise and garlic or with sunflower oil and onions.

    Check out more delicious eggplant recipes: Eggplant Chicken, Eggplant in Tomato Sauce, or Eggplant Sauce for Pasta.

    Jump to recipe
    • How to roast, grill, or bake eggplants?
    • How to make roasted eggplant salad?
    • How to serve vinete?
    • More Romanian salads
    • Recipe
    • Romanian Eggplant Salad - Vinete
    roasted eggplant salad vinete

    How to roast, grill, or bake eggplants?

    There are three methods of cooking your eggplants in order to make the eggplant salad. I have used them all, and they all work; whatever you decide to use depends on your possibilities and mood. However, all three methods have an effect on the taste of the eggplant salad.

    Grilling the eggplants on the grill/barbecue

    • This is the traditional Romanian way of cooking the eggplants for the salad. You make a fire, always wood in Romania, and grill the pierced eggplants turning them regularly until all the skin is burnt. The temperature of the grill should be about medium-low to low, don't let it get too hot, or the outside of the eggplants will burn before the inside is cooked.
    • Depending on their size, you should grill the eggplants somewhere between 20 to 40 minutes or until the skin is evenly charred, and the eggplant collapses; the flesh should be really soft.
    • The eggplant salad made with grilled aubergines will taste really smoky and so delicious!

    Roasting the eggplants on the stovetop

    • This is the method my grandmother used all the time. We lived in a flat, so we didn't have the possibility of grilling the eggplants on the grill as my aunt did.
    • Lay some tin foil around the burners of the stovetop to make sure that the liquid released by the eggplants won't cause too much of a mess. Prick the eggplants with a fork several times and lay them directly on the flame of the burners.
    • Turn regularly with a pair of tongs, making sure that the skin is burnt on all sides. Cook until the skin is evenly charred and the flesh of the eggplants very soft.
    • I find this to be the quickest method of roasting eggplants, it only takes about 10-15 minutes for a medium eggplant, so if I use two or three of my burners, I am done in no time.
    • The taste of the eggplants roasted on the stovetop is smoky as well, a bit milder than the grilled one, but still totally delicious.
    two eggplants being roasted on a stovetop lined with foil.

    Baking the eggplants in the oven

    • This is the most convenient method of cooking the eggplants for the salad.
    • Place the eggplants on a baking tray lined with baking paper or tin foil and bake them in a preheated oven at 350ยฐF/180ยฐC for about 45 minutes or until the flesh of the eggplants is very soft.
    • This is the ideal method for people who enjoy a milder taste for this salad. When baked this way, the eggplants will not be smoky but mild and sweeter.
    roasted eggplants aubergines charred

    How to make roasted eggplant salad?

    • After grilling, roasting, or baking the eggplants, let them cool, then carefully remove all the skin. Place the eggplants in a sieve and let drain for about half an hour to one hour.
    • Chop with a special wooden knife made especially for this purpose (if you are Romanian and have one, of course) or with a regular knife.
    • You could process the eggplants in the food processor; the salad will then have a mousse-like consistency, which is delicious but not very authentic. I prefer to chop the salad rather roughly so that I have something to chew here and there, but the degree of chopping is totally up to you.
    eggplant salad chopped

    How to serve vinete?

    Vinete with oil and onions

    • The traditional way of dressing the eggplant salad or vinete, the way my grandmother always did it, was with sunflower oil and very finely chopped onions.
    • Don't use olive oil; the salad will not be authentic anymore. Traditionally, we don't use olive oil in Romania. My grandmother would always use sunflower oil, maybe one brand that is a bit milder in taste.

    Vinete with mayonnaise

    • However, since tasting this salad dressed with homemade mayonnaise sometime in my teens, I must say that I do like the mayonnaise version better. When making the salad with mayonnaise, I always add 2 or 3 grated garlic cloves to it and leave out the onions.
    • I always use homemade whole egg mayonnaise; it is so easy to make, and it tastes so much better than anything you could possibly buy.
    • In both cases. serve the vinete or roasted eggplant or aubergine salad on fresh bread slices with tomato wedges and some feta cheese, if you like.
    eggplant salad spread romanian

    And now that you know all the methods there are of cooking aubergines for making things like this Romanian Eggplant Salad, have a look at these other amazing bread spreads made with grilled, roasted, or baked eggplants:

    • Ajvar
    • Zacusca - The Best Vegetable Spread Ever
    • Baba Ganoush

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    More Romanian salads

    • gherkin potato salad with eggs in a blue vintage bowl.
      Romanian Potato Salad - Oriental Salad
    • bowl of cauliflower salad with mayonnaise, topped with finely chopped leeks.
      Romanian Cauliflower Mayonnaise Salad
    • Romanian Boeuf Salad (Salata de boeuf)
    • white cabbage salad sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley in a vintage bowl.
      Simple White Cabbage Salad

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    Recipe

    romanian eggplant salad or vinete in a small traditional bowl.

    Romanian Eggplant Salad - Vinete

    The recipe for the traditional Romanian eggplant or aubergine salad or spread, made with roasted eggplants and mayonnaise or oil.ย 
    4.50 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Dips, Sauces and Dressings
    Cuisine: Romanian
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 -12 servings
    Calories: 82kcal
    Author: Adina
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    Ingredients 

    Eggplants:

    • 3 medium eggplants
    • parsley
    • bread and tomatoes to serve

    Mayonnaise dressing:

    • 2-4 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise or your favorite brand, to taste
    • 2-3 garlic cloves to taste
    • salt and pepper

    Oil and onion dressing:

    • 3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil I prefer a milder sort
    • 1 small onion
    • salt and pepper

    Instructions

    Grill method (Note 1):

    • Grill the eggplants on a temperature medium-low to low somewhere between 20 to 40 minutes or until the skin is evenly charred, and the eggplant collapses, the flesh should be really soft.
      3 eggplants

    Stovetop method:

    • Put some foil around the burners of the stovetop to make sure that the liquid released by the eggplants won't cause too much of a mess. Prick the eggplants with a fork several times and lay them directly on the flame of the burners.
    • Turn regularly with a pair of tongs, making sure that the skin is burnt on all sides. Cook until the skin is evenly charred and the flesh of the eggplants very soft. This should take about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplants.

    Oven method:

    • Bake: Place the eggplants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350ยฐF/ 180ยฐC for about 45 minutes or until the flesh of the eggplants is very soft.

    Roasted Eggplant Salad - Vinete:

    • Peel and drain: After grilling, roasting, or baking the eggplants, let them cool, then carefully remove all the skin. Place the eggplants in a sieve and let drain for about half an hour to one hour.
    • Chop with a special wooden knife made especially for this purpose (if you are Romanian and have one, of course) or with a regular knife.
      You could process the eggplants in the food processor; the salad will then have a mousse-like consistency, which is delicious but not very authentic. I prefer to chop the salad rather roughly so that I have something to chew here and there.

    Mayonnaise dressing:

    • Mix the chopped eggplants with 2-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, preferably homemade (to taste); add the grated garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix very well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread and tomatoes.

    Oil dressing:

    • Mix the chopped eggplants with the very finely chopped onion and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread and tomatoes.

    Notes

    1. See the post for a more detailed description of the cooking methods.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2-3 tablespoons | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 90mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

     

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    Comments

    1. Felicia says

      January 26, 2025 at 7:04 pm

      5 stars
      This is the closest recipe to the one I used. I baked eggplants on barbecue grill though and I use a lot of garlic and red onion ( or green onion if available).
      Thank you for sharing your recipe!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        January 27, 2025 at 8:11 am

        Baking the eggplants on the grill is the best way to go - the best flavor. I try to do that in summer as often as I can.

        Reply
    2. Marcela says

      July 31, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      Buna ziua Adina!
      I absolutely love this! It's so simple to make and delicious! I make it all the time here in Brazil.
      I was wondering if I can save it in jars like zacusca or if it's not possible due to the mayo?
      Mulศ›umesc!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 31, 2020 at 3:35 pm

        Buna Marcela. You can't can them. But you can do like my grandma always did. Prepare the eggplants, chop and freeze them in freezer bags. When you want to serve them, defrost one bag (it doesn't take long), add mayo and everything else.

        Reply
    3. Aimee says

      September 12, 2019 at 12:45 am

      Adina, thank you for this recipe! While not Romanian myself, I have adopted the country as my own after many trips and am quite happy to have this resource for recreating some of my favorite recipes! One question though - what do you do with the eggplant seeds? Do you just leave them? I don't remember noticing them in the vinete I've had before, but I seem to have many in the eggplants I have roasted!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        September 12, 2019 at 8:29 am

        Hi Aimee. So nice to read your comment. Yes, definitely leave the seeds inside, they belong there. They are always in vinete, but they are small and everything is mashed, so you really have to look hard to find them. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Roz says

      August 03, 2019 at 7:33 am

      I love this romainian eggplant salad that my grandmother used to make. I donโ€™t have a grill or a gas stove but I bake the eggplants in my microwave any pricking the skin when soft enough, I slice it open to cool, then scrape the flesh from the skin and Procter to chopping adding minced onions & garlic, salt & pepper. Then enough oil to mix in.. DELICIOUS

      Reply
      • Adina says

        August 03, 2019 at 10:04 am

        Thank you for the comment, Roz, it completes the article on how to cook eggplants . I don't have a microwave, so I could not have added this Information myself. It's great that you did.

        Reply
    5. Abigayle says

      July 28, 2019 at 10:26 pm

      Adina, while I have lived in the U.S. most of my life, I am half Romanian. It was such a pleasant surprise to stumble on this group of recipes. Since I have been cooking for over fifty years I can tell these are good ones and will try some this week, using everything from my garden. Thank You! Abigayle Robu-Lofgren

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 28, 2019 at 11:40 pm

        Hi Abigayle. Thank you for your comment. I am so glad you like the recipes, let me know when you try something. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Mari says

      April 12, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      Just heavenly delicious! Followed the recipe exactly!! Looking forward to our Romania trip this summer to try it there.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        April 13, 2019 at 3:48 pm

        Thank you, Mari. If I may suggest concerning your trip to Romania. Do visit Sibiu if possible, it is wonderful and it has so much to offer.

        Reply
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