🍆 Eggplant

Solanum melongena

A smooth, purple vegetable with a soft, spongy inside that we always eat cooked.

Usually shiny and deep purple, shaped like a big teardrop or an egg with a green cap.

Mild and a little bitter raw, but soft and savory once it is cooked.

Low in calories with fiber, and its purple skin holds healthy plant colors called antioxidants.

Roast it, grill it, or bake it into dishes; it soaks up other flavors like a sponge.

Grows on a bushy plant in warm weather, hanging from the stem until it is picked in summer.

Best in the late summer, when the weather is warm.

Eggplant first grew in India and Asia long ago and slowly spread to kitchens all over the world.

The name eggplant comes from an old kind that was small, white, and round like a chicken egg.

Try eggplant roasted in the oven with a little olive oil until it turns soft and golden.