Foods A-Z - E is for Eggplant

Tweet

Although considered to be a vegetable, the eggplant is a berry and a member of the nightshade family and related to the tomato and potato. Its skin, spongy fruit and seeds can be eaten. Because the plant is related to the nightshade, it was once believed to be poisonous...BUT do not eat the tubers, flowers or leaves in great quantity because they ARE poisonous. Eggplant is believed to have originated in India where it still grows wild, or in Africa. The first written record of the plant was in a Chinese treatise (a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject) completed in 544. There is a small, white, egg-shaped variety which is where the name eggplant originated. Eggplant can be steamed, stir-fried, pan fried, deep fried, barbequed, roasted, stewed, curried or pickled. To stave off some of the bitterness, rinse, drain and salt the slices before cooking. Photo Credit: Pixabay