FoodFood InformationVegetables
The eggplant, a subtropical plant that originated in India, thrives inwarm weather and does poorly in cooler climes. Temperatures dipping below50F retard its growth; a whole crop can be wiped out by the lightest offrosts. The eggplant's sensitivity to cold temperatures explains why itis a staple, almost a staff of life, in the Far East, Near East, northernAfrica, and southern Europe, yet is hardly used in northern Europe. As arule, people with Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, or Germanic heritages eat eggplantsonly when they dine out in Italian or Greek restaurants.
In the United States the eggplant is a big seller in the larger urban cities,but it doesn't do nearly as well in America's heartland and just dies inDixie. A lot of eggplant is grown in the South, but nearly all productionis shipped north. Our annual per capita consumption of eggplant is meager,less than one per person, but the demand is on the rise.
Eggplants are available twelve months of the year. By far our biggest domesticproducer is the state of Florida, which ships eggplants to market nine monthsof the year. When the Florida crop goes out of season, those from New Jerseytake up most of the slack. California and the Carolinas also have big crops.During the winter months huge quantities of eggplants are imported fromMexico.
Eggplants come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Most of thosesold in North America are of the purple, almost black, skinned globe varieties.These eggplants are oval, pear-shaped, and about the size of a small football.Some varieties are more round than oval, and there are some eggplants grownin home gardens that are thin, elongated, and almost a foot long. The miniaturevarieties are known as Italian eggplants or small globes. They are excellentwhen stuffed with cheese and meat and bread crumbs and then baked whole.
The color range of the different varieties of eggplant goes from a deeppurple-black to white. The pink and pink-and-white-striped ones are availablein Latin American neighborhoods. There are also chocolate colored and cream-coloredvarieties. However, the skin color plays no role as to the quality, texture,and flavor.
There are both male and female eggplants, identifiable by the shape of thescar in the depression at the blossom end. If it has a round dot that lookslike a dimple, it's a male; if it has a dash, it's a female. At one timethe male eggplant was more desirable because it had fewer seeds than thefemale eggplant. However, today's newer varieties, male or female, havevery few seeds.
It's easy to identify fine eggplants. Choose those that are firm but nothard, unscarred, glossy, and symmetrical in shape, and have green caps.This green cap or calyx is a tell tale clue to freshness. If two eggplantsare of equal size, the one that is lighter in weight will have fewer seeds.Avoid eggplants that are dull in color, wrinkled, and soft, and have brownrather than green caps.
It is unfortunate that eggplant doesn't play a more important role in theAmerican diet. It can be a flavorful meat substitute as a main-course dish,and it is usually very inexpensive.
WHEN TO BUY: Available year-round
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Firm but not hard, unscarred, glossy vegetables with greencaps
HOW TO STORE: Require refrigeration
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