This spread pleases the palates of East and West alike with its slightly sm okey taste and rich creamy texture. It is considered best when heavily lade n with the freshest garlic, and is excellent as a meza or cocktail dip with potato chips, toast rounds, or Arabic bread.

Cut stem and green hull from top of eggplant. Bake it whole or broil over a n open flame until the flesh is soft and the skin becomes crisp and starts to crack open. Scoop pulp out of the skin. Mash thoroughly or pass through a food mill. Slowly beat in lemon juice alternately with taheeni. Crush gar lic with salt and mix to a paste with a little lemon juice. Blend this

into the eggplant mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste adding more salt or le

mon juice. Pour onto shallow serving dishes or platters. Garnish with chopp

ed parsley or leaves. Arrange pomegranate seeds in rows across top.

Serve cold with olive oil, radishes and green onions.

Baba ghannouj can be prepared in small quantities in the electric blender. Beat the grilled pulp first, then alternately add taheeni and lemon juice, and garlic crushed with salt. Prepare a third of the quantity given above so as s not to overfill the blender.