Even more than tomatoes and potatoes, aubergines have been so prevelent throughout Mediterranean cuisine that every culture has learned to cook them and combine them in many different and desirable ways. Cooking with aubergines was already reknowned during the Middle Ages, as evidenced by old recipes and poems. Ham is also omnipresent in its most festive cooking styles: fried, baked or grilled. The most classic aubergine dish combines the two: pan sautéed aubergine with diced ham.
Throughout Spain, and especially in the Balearic Islands, there is a deep-rooted cult-like worship of this vegetable, with many recipes for stuffed aubergine. Perhaps the most famous recipe is the Campo de Calatrava, from Ciudad Real, using Almagro aubergines, which are PGI (protected geographic indication) certified. These aubergines are generally preserved with a special dressing, and served in many establishments throughout Spain.
Ciudad Real and Baleares