FoodFood InformationVegetables
The eggplant, a subtropical plant that originated in India, thrives in
warm weather and does poorly in cooler climes. Temperatures dipping below
50F retard its growth; a whole crop can be wiped out by the lightest of
frosts. The eggplant's sensitivity to cold temperatures explains why it
is a staple, almost a staff of life, in the Far East, Near East, northern
Africa, and southern Europe, yet is hardly used in northern Europe. As a
rule, people with Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, or Germanic heritages eat eggplants
only 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 in
Dixie. A lot of eggplant is grown in the South, but nearly all production
is 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 domestic
producer is the state of Florida, which ships eggplants to market nine months
of the year. When the Florida crop goes out of season, those from New Jersey
take up most of the slack. California and the Carolinas also have big crops.
During the winter months huge quantities of eggplants are imported from
Mexico.
Eggplants come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Most of those
sold 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 grown
in home gardens that are thin, elongated, and almost a foot long. The miniature
varieties are known as Italian eggplants or small globes. They are excellent
when stuffed with cheese and meat and bread crumbs and then baked whole.
The color range of the different varieties of eggplant goes from a deep
purple-black to white. The pink and pink-and-white-striped ones are available
in Latin American neighborhoods. There are also chocolate colored and cream-colored
varieties. 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 the
scar in the depression at the blossom end. If it has a round dot that looks
like a dimple, it's a male; if it has a dash, it's a female. At one time
the male eggplant was more desirable because it had fewer seeds than the
female eggplant. However, today's newer varieties, male or female, have
very few seeds.
It's easy to identify fine eggplants. Choose those that are firm but not
hard, unscarred, glossy, and symmetrical in shape, and have green caps.
This green cap or calyx is a tell tale clue to freshness. If two eggplants
are 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 brown
rather than green caps.
It is unfortunate that eggplant doesn't play a more important role in the
American 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 green
caps
HOW TO STORE: Require refrigeration
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