Eggplant Botanical Name: Solanum melongena (Solanaceae)
General Description/History: - Closely related to tomato and capsicum - Large pear shaped vegetable, averaging 20cm in length - Glossy purple skin - Firm white flesh - Contains many fine seeds - Green stem and leaves - Botanically a fruit. Choose eggplant which is firm, heavy in comparison to size, dark and shiny skin with a fresh green stalk. The skin must have a uniform, rich purple colour, free from scars or cuts. A wilted, shrivelled, softer, flabby eggplant will usually be bitter and of poor flavour. Decay appears as dark brown spots on the surface and will tend to deteriorate quite rapidly. Eggplant may be sliced and fried, baked, boiled, steamed or grilled. Eggplant is very good when stuffed with meat or sauteed in olive oil and cooked with plenty of tomato paste. Eggplant can be baked, scalloped and topped with cheese, creamed mushrooms or sour cream. Incorporate eggplant into salads and dips. Eggplant is a warm season vegetable which is extremely sensitive to frost. Eggplant needs plenty of fertiliser because of its long growing period and prolific fruit production. Although the eggplant is quite new to the Western World, in South East Asia it is very popular. In early Baghdad, a popular baked dish was one of layers of mutton, onions and eggplant. In Turkey, it was necessary for the bride to know how to cook eggplant at least 27 ways in order for her to be worthwhile to the husband-to-be. In England the eggplant was called ‘Mad Apple’. It reached France by the 17th Century and was called ‘Aubergine’.
Alternative Names: Aubergine Oriental eggplant
Varieties: Please click pictures to see seasonality
Black Bell	Long Tom	Pea
Thai Round	Continental	Purple
Growing Areas: QLD - Bundaberg, Burdekin, Redlands, Stanthorpe NSW - Dareton, Gosford, Hunter Valley, Windsor VIC - Goulburn Valley, Mid Murray District SA - Adelaide Plains, Riverland WA - Carnarvon, Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas NT - Darwin, Katherine
Preparation Videos: How to prepare an Eggplant Marinade
Nutritional Value: A good source of dietary fibre, contains some vitamin C and potassium. 75kJ/100g.
Storage/Handling: 7-10°C and 90 - 98% relative humidity. Customer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.
Recipes:
Spaghetti with Vegetables and Beans	Baked Eggplant & Ricotta	Ratatouille
Eggplant in the Pan	Pumpkin Curry	Fettucine with Grilled Vegetables and Pesto
Interesting Facts and Myths? Eggplant was probably first consumed in China around 500 A.D. The Chinese believed the fruit was poisonous unless carefully prepared by a trained cook! Eggplant is a member of the thistle family.