(Solanum melongena— Family Solanaceae)
Eggplant (North America), aubergine, brinjal, madapple, garden egg, guinea squash, pea aubergine
Originally from India, eggplants are now distributed throughout most every tropical, subtropical, and temperate climate zones.
It is a perennial but grown as an annual for commercial purposes.
The Arabs brought the eggplant to Europe in the 13th century. In Italy, the eggplant was already cultivated by 1550. This glossy-skinned fruit was known to the 16th century Spaniards as the ‘apple of love’.
By contrast, many botanists of the time called it mala insana or ‘mad apple’ because of its alleged effects. European folklore contributes to this notion, stating that eating eggplant skin caused insanity; but this could have derived from the Turkish tale where a sultan fainted from sheer pleasure upon eating a dish of this vegetable.
The Chinese first cultivated it in the 5th century BCE, but it remained unknown to the Greeks and Romans. Moorish invaders introduced it into Spain, who later took the eggplant to the New World.
Since the first cultivated eggplants were white,
the name “egg” was the logical choice since they were, and still are, about two inches in diameter. Most modern F1 hybrids are bushy and grow to about three feet in height.
There are hundreds of varieties grown around the world, with all kinds of colours and shapes.
Colours range from white, purple, purple-black, green, orange-red, and striped.
An eggplant can be as small as a grape or a big as a football. It might be pear-shaped, round, or elongated and skinny.
The light green or striped forms of the variety serpentium are cultivated in India and Thailand. They may grow up to three feet in length, sometimes with a snake-like spiral.
Snow white eggplants have been grown in Asia for thousands of years and are now cultivated in the West along with other shaped varieties of the white eggplant, which are usually only found in specialty shops or farmer’s markets.
The most common North American variety is dark purple
and globular, ranging from one to five pounds.
Japanese or Chinese eggplants
are smaller and elongated, from one to two inches in diameter and up to ten inches in length. These are a violet colour, but can be striated with white. The skins are thin and tender and the flavour mild but sweet.
Baby or finger eggplants,
sometimes called Italian, can be only a few inches long and either narrow or plump.
Sicilian or Rosa Blanco eggplants
are an Italian variety that are round and large, weighing from one to two pounds. They are a light purple, with white striped skin and a mild meaty flavour.
Thai eggplants
can look like a bunch of hard green grapes or bird’s eggs with white and green colourings. They are quite seedy and have a crunchier texture than other eggplants. They are usually cooked whole in Thai curries.
Eggplant is a fundamental ingredient in such national dishes as the French “ratatouille”, the Greek “moussaka”, or the Turkish “imam bayeldi”, and have long been used in culinary dishes in the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Middle East.
In choosing one, pick those that have tight, shiny, skins that are free of wrinkles, bruises or spongy spots. If it sounds hollow when tapped, pass it up as it will be dry. Pick one that is heavy for its size.
By “sweating” the eggplant, bitterness is reduced, as well as the need for more oil in cooking. This is accomplished by cutting the eggplant into strips, cubes, or slices (skin and all), then sprinkling with a little salt and allowing to stand in a collander for at least thirty minutes. Rinse with water and pat dry.
Eggplants are also sensitive to the type of knife used for cutting. Carbon knives can cause a bitter aftertaste and leave rust marks on the flesh, so stainless steel is the best choice.
The eggplant is notorious for its ability to absorb oil. Even with salting and sweating, it will still absorb huge quantities of oil.
A fresh eggplant’s cells are full of air that escapes when it is heated. If it is cooked with oil, the empty cells soak it up. Eventually the cell walls collapse and the oil leaks out, which explains why parmigiana often seems to be served in a pool of oil. Eggplants absorb more oil than any other vegetable.
In one experiment, a deep fried eggplant absorbed four times more fat than french fried potatoes. Therefore, it is best to avoid deep-frying and sautéeing; but rather bake, roast, grill, broil, steam, or braise this vegetable.
Most eggplant dishes taste better the next day. They can be enjoyed hot the first day and then either cold or at room temperature the next.
Unripe fruits may contain relatively large amounts of the toxin solanine. This only partially disappears after a fairly long cooking time.
In general, the lighter the colour of the eggplant, the milder the flavour. Those that have been kept in storage taste more bitter than freshly picked ones. Even small thin-skinned varieties can taste bitter and unappealing, if not used fresh.
The bland flavour of the vegetable makes it ideal for vegetarian dishes and served with such stronger flavoured vegetables as tomatoes and peppers. It is the principal ingredient in parmigiana.
Eggplants are a good source of folate and potassium but otherwise low in vitamins and minerals. It takes one cup of cooked eggplant to equal the potassium found in half a banana; and, to many a child, the banana is a preferred choice.
Some varieties include the following:
- Bambino is generally grown as a mini vegetable.
- Black Beauty produces dark purple, good quality fruits.
- Black Enorma has monstrous, dark, almost spherical fruits.
- Easter Egg is white and about five inches long.
- Florida Market is oval and glossy purple-black.
- Long Purple is dark purple and about six inches long.
- Moneymaker is a superior fruit.
- Ova produces masses of small white-skinned fruits.
- Short Tom can be harvested small or large.
- Violette di Firenze is an unusual dark mauve fruit that looks more like large purple string beans.
Green-skinned eggplants
come in as many shapes and sizes as the others. Green eggplants are not bitter, as one might expect, but are quite sweet. The elongated ones are comparable to the Oriental types in flesh and skin tenderness, but they are meatier and fuller-flavoured.
Although they are mainly associated with Asian cuisine, these tasty cultivars were developed in the US under such names as Applegreen and Louisiana Long Green. They can be cooked all ways, but are particularly good broiled. The skins turn bronzy and melds with the soft flesh.
Round ones are the size of limes and are usually called Asian or Thai. They are mild and sweet, but they have nothing else in common with the long green eggplants. Dense, with fairly thick skins, they are also extremely seedy, crunching much like sesame seeds.
The American cultivar, named Kermit after the popular Muppet, is meaty with a flavour hinting at mushrooms and artichokes. It is one of the few vegetables that benefits from microwave cooking, but they can easily be steamed, braised, sautéed, or baked.
Italian/American eggplants
are typically dark, large, and pear- or bell-shaped and the most commonly found in markets.
Oriental type eggplants
mainly have slim, tapered or pointed elongated fruits in the style of Little Fingers, Lilac Bride, and Machiaw. They are among the most dependably mild, tender-skinned, creamy-fleshed, and quick-cooking on the market, whether they are miniature or full grown.
The Chinese eggplants are a lavender-bluish white, amethyst, and reddish-violet, and especially low in seeds. The darker violet to inky-purple cultivars are usually called Japanese and may be firmer and heavier. T
hey usually do have a sweet skin and flesh, and tend to maintain their colour better than other types. Light-bodied and creamy, they can be cooked in any way, but tend to keep their form and flavour best when baked.
Pea eggplant (Solanum torvum)
is actually not an eggplant, but rather a bitter-tasting fruit that grows only to a half inch in size.
Small deep purple eggplants
may be Oriental but they may also be from other varieties as well. Round or pear-shaped and called by various names such as Japanese, Italian, Indian, and baby eggplants, they are similar to their larger counterparts and varying just as much in flavour, texture and size.
Small red, orange, and ochre eggplants (Solanum aethiopicum and S. macrocarpon)
are available to gardeners, but rarely seen in markets. They can be deep and rich in flavour, mild and sweet, but very seedy and sometimes bitter. The last two traits are better appreciated in some African, Asian, and Middle Eastern dishes.
Striped or purple-blushed European eggplants
are usually purple or white with pink or purple stripes. Grown in many countries, this type is generally large with a creamy texture and fairly low in seeds.
White-skinned eggplants
are common in Southeast Asia and, like other eggplants, come in all shapes and sizes. They are usually firm, heavy, and dense with a thick skin that needs to be removed. When cooked, the flesh is sweet, but bland, and turns from an ivory to a beige or pale-gray. It holds its shape well no matter how it is cooked.
