Where did the appetizer baba ghanoush have its origin?

Baba ghanoush is a Levantine appetizer consisting of mashed cooked eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, various seasonings, and sometimes tahini. It may be served with onions, tomatoes, or other vegetables. The eggplant is traditionally baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. It is a typical 'meze' ('starter') of the regional cuisine, often served as a side to a main meal and as a dip for pita bread.

Levant is historically, the region along the eastern Mediterranean shores, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and certain adjacent areas. It was applied to the coastlands of Asia Minor and Syria, sometimes extending from Greece to Egypt. It was also used for Anatolia and as a synonym for the Middle East or Near East. In the 16th and 17th centuries the term High Levant referred to the Far East. The name Levant States was given to the French mandate of Syria and Lebanon after World War I, and the term is sometimes still used for those two countries, which became independent in 1946.