The crackle of skin blackened over a flame, the scent of sweet smoke filling the kitchen, then the melt-in-your-mouth flesh mashed with a fork: that is Uncle Yiannis roasted eggplant purée, the taste of a "homemade" Greek meal, without the 40 minutes spent over the fire.

The crackle of skin blackened over a flame, the scent of sweet smoke filling the kitchen, then the melt-in-your-mouth flesh mashed with a fork: that is Uncle Yiannis roasted eggplant purée, the taste of a "homemade" Greek meal, without the 40 minutes spent over the fire.

In many Greek homes, there is a ritual one never forgets. An eggplant placed directly over the flame, turned and turned again until the skin blackens and the whole kitchen smells of smoke and summer evenings. Someone is watching it. Someone else is taking out the bread. And you know the meal will be a long one.

This Uncle Yiannis roasted eggplant purée preserves that ritual. The eggplants are roasted the traditional way, over an open flame, to provide a "home-cooked" aroma and flavor that promises unique combinations of taste. The 500g jar is a ready-to-use base: you can prepare it your own way with lemon, olive oil, garlic, or yogurt, or simply serve it as is with bread.

You don’t buy this to "save time." You buy it to rediscover the table of another country, where there is always a small bowl of something to dip, voices overlapping, and someone saying "taste this" before you’ve even finished sitting down.

And here, in any corner of Canada, on a Sunday in February with snow sticking to the windows, just one opened jar is enough. A warming pita bread, a plate of crunchy vegetables, a bit of feta: for the duration of a meal, your kitchen travels to another land.

How to enjoy it
With a drizzle of lemon juice, olive oil, and a little garlic for a homemade melitzanosalata. Spread on toasted bread or pita, as a dip with crunchy vegetables, in a mezze platter with olives, feta, and tomatoes, or as a side for grilled meat or fish.

Why our customers love it

• Eggplants roasted over an open flame, the traditional way
• A "homemade," smoky, and comforting aroma and taste
• A 500g jar, ready to serve or customize
• An ideal base for melitzanosalata, dips, spreads, and mezzes
• Pairs just as well with pita bread as it does with grilled meat or fish
• The jar you open "just to taste" that vanishes before the appetizers are done