From Peggy Trowbridge Filippone,
Your Guide to Home Cooking.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Eggplant has been vastly under-used by the American public. Today, thanks to Asian and Southern European influences, it is finding its way into more and more dishes. It's a good meat substitute which also makes it attractive to vegetarians. Eggplant actually has a quite bland flavor, but it soaks up flavors of accompanying foods, herbs, and spices like a sponge, much like tofu.

Learn about the history eggplant, how to store it, whether to salt or not to salt, and get some cooking tips before delving into the many eggplant recipes.

Eggplant history

The eggplant, Solanum melongena, is considered a vegetable but is botanically a fruit. Early varieties of eggplant were smaller and white, resembling eggs, hence the name. Botanists credit India as the motherland of the eggplant, but Asian countries first embraced this fruit vegetable in the kitchen about 3 A.D. By 11 A.D., it reached Europe, where consumption of the eggplant was initially thought to cause insanity. No doubt this wary notion was due to its membership in the deadly nightshade family along with the tomato (also thought to be poisonous). Experimental botanist Thomas Jefferson brought the eggplant to the US, where eggplant was primarily used as a table ornament until the 20th century.

Eggplant Selection

Today, eggplants (called aubergine in France) come in all shapes, from small, round fruits (about two inches in diameter) to the popular large oblong Black Beauty variety, which can range up to 12 inches long. A newer variety (called Japanese eggplant) is long and thin, resembling zucchini, and has fewer seeds. (The seeds are edible in all varieties.) Eggplant colors range from white to lavender to dark purplish-black as well as pale green, yellow, and reddish. There are even some striped varieties. Various eggplant varieties may be used interchangably in most recipes, unless the skin color is a specific visual factor in the dish.

Although available year-round, prime time is August and September in the US. Look for eggplants with smooth, shiny skin, heavy for their size, having no blemishes, tan patches, or bruises. Wrinkled, loose skin is an indication of age, and the fruit will be more bitter. Smaller eggplants have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and tend to be sweeter, more tender, and less bitter. Press your finger lightly against the skin. If it leaves a light imprint, it is ripe. If it's too soft, it's too old and will be bitter. Looking for less seeds? Check the blossom end of the fruit. A larger scar generally means fewer seeds.

Next page >Eggplant Storage, Cooking Tips and Recipes > Page 1, 2, 3

A to Z Food | Articles by date | Articles by topic