Did you know that at one time, women in the Orient used a black dye made form eggplant to stain their teeth a gun metal gray? The dye probably came from the same dark purple eggplant we see in the marketplace today.
The eggplant is a member of the potato family, and it is known worldwide as aubergine, eggplant, brinjal, melanzana, garden egg, and patlican.
Eggplant is available all year, but is best in August and September.
There are many varieties of eggplant which range from dark purple to pale mauve, and from yellow to white. Varieties of eggplant include Chinese purple, globular, Japanese and Italian Rosa Bianco. The longer purple variety is the most commonly eaten. It is one of the more popular vegetables in the world, and it is a staple of Italian cooking throughout Italy. For hundreds of years, it was grown only in Sicily and southern Italy.
Researchers at the US Agricultural Service in Beltsville, Maryland, have found that eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves from infection by bacteria and fungi.
For centuries after its introduction into Europe, eggplant was used more as a decorative garden plant than as a food.
Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy. If there is no give, the eggplant was picked too early. Also make sure an eggplant isn't dry inside, knock on it with your knuckles. If you hear a hollow sound, don't buy it.
Eggplant should have smooth, glossy, purple black skin, free of scars and they must be firm. Soft eggplants are usually bitter. Keep cool and use eggplant in two to four days after purchase.
Never eat raw eggplant since it contains the toxin solamine. Solamine is destroyed by cooking.
Eggplants are very perishable and become bitter with age. They should be stored in a cool, dry place and used within a day or two of purchase. To store in the refrigerator, place in a plastic bag. If you plan to cook it the same day you buy it, leave it out at room temperature.
When young, the skin of most eggplants are edible; older eggplants should be peeled. since the flesh discolors rapidly, an eggplant should be cut just before using.
When eggplants are fried they tend to absorb four times more fat than an equal amount of potatoes. Studies have shown that eggplants will absorb 80 grams of fat in approximately 70 seconds which adds 700 calories to the eggplant.
Note: It is best not to fry eggplant.
References: Foods and Nutriton Encyclopedia, The Whole Foods Encyclopedia.
See also:
Food Bytes: Eggplant
