Falling for Eggplant

Image Gallery

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Natural Kitchen

Mother's Kitchen

Don't let its peculiar name desuade you. Fall's purple beauty is versatile, full of fiber and delicious.

By Anne Vassal

When I spot a beautiful purple eggplant in the garden, glistening with dew and ready for picking, I occasionally recall a memorable eggplant moment. I remember sitting in an outdoor Greek cafe on the Mediterranean, dining on Greek-style eggplant and lamb. Or the time my husband and I munched on grilled eggplant sandwiches as we toured Rome on foot. Eggplant seemed to taste even more delicious on foreign soil. But for now I'm standing in the midst of our Chicago garden next to numerous eggplants that must be picked and prepared.

It's the preparation part that scares some people away from eggplant (not to mention a somewhat challenging name). After all, it isn't the type of vegetable that one could pick and eat raw or pop into the freezer. It's best eaten freshly prepared, preferably in season but also occasionally during the winter months. Although eggplant isn't high in any single nutrient, it contains lots of fiber that makes it very filling and gives a "meaty" texture to vegetarian dishes. By itself eggplant is low in fat and contains few calories. The reason it has such a greasy reputation is because frying it results in the porous eggplant soaking up the oil like a sponge. Lower-in-fat options would be grilling or broiling, baking, steaming, or simmering in sauces. But eggplant hasn't always been so edible. Centuries ago it was shunned because it was believed that consuming eggplant would cause temporary insanity. When my husband discovered this fun fact, he decided to attribute my bizarre personality traits to my frequent eggplant feasts.

Selecting Eggplant

There are numerous summer varieties to choose from. The dark purple globular is the most common variety sold. The Japanese eggplant is purple or white with its shape similar to a small zucchini. The Chinese eggplant is the same shape but is a light violet color. There is also the round or oval Italian (Rosa Biancos) eggplant that is white or purple in color. Rumor has it that the small oval white eggplant (which resembled eggs) were how the eggplant got its name.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print