The Patlidžan at Balkan Treat Box is a staple for a reason

While scanning the options at Balkan Treat Box, stop at No. 7, patlidžan, the eggplant-and-egg sandwich. It was a staple even before the popular brick-and-mortar location opened in Webster Groves, since the food truck first rolled out in 2017. The base bread is a variation on somun; each piece is baked to order in a wood-fired oven. A longtime eggplant lover, co-owner Loryn Nalic discovered the sabich while traveling and vowed to re-create it in her own style. “It’s not a standard Serbian or Balkan sandwich,” she says. “This one’s all mine.” First, slices of seasoned, lightly marinated Chinese-style eggplant are grilled on a wood fire. They’re then combined in the hinged somun with pickled purple cabbage, house-made pickles, feta cheese, sliced cherry tomato, as well as unaged kajmak cheese. And the add-ins? The first punch comes from a “house green sauce.” Then comes a drizzle of apricot-pomegranate molasses, a fruity-and-sour combo that Nalic “just made up.” It’s finished with seasoned slices of cooked, “ever-so-lightly pickled” egg and a scatter of fresh herbs. “It’s a monster,” says Nalic, “and we sell a ton of them.”