Moussaka (Greek: moussakas; Romanian: musaca; Turkish: musakka; South Slavic мусака; Arabic: musaqqaʿa) is a traditional aubergine (eggplant)-based dish in the Balkans and the Middle East. The Greek version consists of layers of ground (minced) lamb, sliced aubergine, and tomato, topped with a white sauce and baked. In the Arab world, moussaka is a cooked salad made up primarily of tomatoes and aubergine, similar to Italian caponata, and is usually served cold as a mezze dish. Despite its Arabic name, moussaka is usually thought of as a Greek dish in the West.

In the standard (3-layer) Greek recipe, the bottom layer consists of aubergine slices sautéed in olive oil, the middle layer is ground lamb cooked with mashed tomatoes, and the top layer is béchamel sauce (probably introduced by Tselementes in the 1920s). The butter in the béchamel can be omitted, used sparingly, or substituted by cream. In the rest of the Balkans, the top layer is often a custard; in England, in rare cases a layer of mashed potatoes is used instead. Grated cheese or bread crumbs are often sprinkled on top.

There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. The most common variant in Greece may include zucchini (UK courgette), potatoes or mushrooms in addition to the aubergine. There is even a fast-day version in the Greek cookbook by Tselementes which includes neither meat nor sauce, just vegetables (ground aubergine is used instead of ground meat), tomato sauce, and bread crumbs.

The word moussaka is of Arabic origin, from saqqaʿa, "to chill"[ , ISBN 9608501865
Vefa Alexiadou , , ISBN 9609013708
Vefa Alexiadou , , ISBN 9608501873

Moussaka, the national dish of the Aegean sea