Why are olive-oil dishes not served hot?

The olive-oil tradition cooks vegetables slowly in little water and their own juices. After the pot leaves the heat the dish rests for hours: the oil works into the vegetable and acidity and sweetness settle. Serving it hot cuts that process short.

There is a physical side too: the volatile compounds that carry olive oil's aroma disperse with heat, while cold oil turns semi-solid and leaves a film on the palate. Put a fridge-cold imam bayıldı next to one rested for half an hour and the difference is immediate.

So asking for an olive-oil dish at room temperature is not fussiness in a restaurant; it is part of the recipe.