Moussaka is a Europeanised dish introduced to Greece via Turkey but Arabic in origin.  The main ingredient, besides meat, has become to be known as aubergine, however historically it has been made using other vegetables such as courgettes, artichokes or potatoes.

The aubergine was brought to Mediterranean countries from India by spice traders in the 12th century and for some time was regarded by Europeans as inedible as it is linked to the nightshade family as is the potato and tomato.  

Maghmuma, a dish layered with mutton, onions and aubergines is recorded in a 13th century cook book from Baghdad and could well be the ancestor of our modern day version of Moussaka. Part of its Europeanising process has been to introduce the topping of a thick béchamel sauce.  With its countless ways of preparing this dish it is an example of how a recipe has responded to the transmission between generations and the influences of the culture into which it has been absorbed.