Eggplant season is coming up. Time to talk about eggplants!
Do you believe that inner beauty is more important than good looks? Then the eggplant is your fruit, or your berry to be more precise, according to its botanical classification (“Nightshade,” Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001)…
The eggplant is not the most sexy veggie produced by Mother Nature but it has hidden qualities that largely make up for its appearance: A rich and complex flavor, a meaty texture, an abundance of proteins, and a profusion of recipes… Its color however, “Aubergine” (from its French name) is quite unique and relished in interior design circles. The deep purple is used in color schemes for elegant and sophisticated interiors, from wall accents, to curtains, to pieces of furniture, to bathroom equipment.
Originally from India where it is mostly used in curry stews, the eggplant traveled to other parts of Asia, and was introduced in the Mediterranean region by the Arabs in the early Middle Ages. I will boldly say that it’s where it found home! It has been cooked in so many delicious ways in that area of the world! The recipes for the versatile eggplant are endless.
In Lebanon, you find it pickled (stuffed with walnuts and garlic), or pureed in the exquisite “Baba Ghanoush” (the Eggplant is roasted in its skin until charred, then the flesh is delicately removed and softly mashed with garlic, sesame paste, and lemon – It is enjoyed with flat bread and has a distinctive roasted taste).
In south of France, you find it simply fried and served cold with tomato sauce (One of the fondest memories of my childhood), or in the famous “ratatouille” (a stew with onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchinis).
In the Balkans and in North Africa, it is used in various salads.
And of course, in Italy and Greece, it is used in the renowned Eggplant Parmigiana or Moussaka with bread crumbs, melted cheese and tomato sauce. I came across a recipe of Eggplant Mozzarella recently, inspired by the Tomato Mozzarella, so inventive and tasty, a mouth-watering dish and a delight to the eyes: Layers of fried eggplant and fresh mozzarella seasoned with capers and basil.
Cooking eggplant is time consuming. But it is worth the effort! You usually need to disgorge the eggplant with salt, then fry it or stew it in order to reveal its inner qualities. A good alternative though is to just broil slices of eggplant with a drizzle of olive oil. In any case, choose your eggplant with utmost care, and discard any brown seed. The eggplant will show brown seeds when it is a female, so try to pick male eggplants (they have a round and shallow indentation at the bottom, like in the picture above). The seeds are bitter because they contain nicotine, and the more brown, the bitterer. The nicotine level is not threatening however, you would need to eat 20 pounds of eggplant to absorb the amount of nicotine contained in 1 cigarette (Edward F. Domino, Erich Hornbach, Tsenge Demana, The Nicotine Content of Common Vegetables, The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 329:437 August 5, 1993 Number 6).
It is a fact though that eggplant can be pretty addictive… Whether you cook it Asian style, or Mediterranean style, or any style really, you will not be disappointed, the eggplant is after all the “King of Vegetables” (commonly called so in India because of its crown).
