To salt or not to salt. To fry or to bake. Although we think of it as the quintessential Mediterranean food, it came to Europe via India, although some say China. The earliest eggplant were round and white, shaped like, you guessed it, eggs. In fact these small white eggplants are starting to appear at farmer's markets and ethnic markets.
Eggplants come in a few easy to find varieties.
By far the most familiar is the globe eggplant, the large oval purple ones, called aubergines in Europe. Smaller globes are known as Italian eggplants. Then there are the small, oblong purple japanese eggplant, and the lighter purple and striped Asian varieties. And now you can find small round purple and white eggplants as well. When shopping for eggplants look for firm, unbruised skin, and select those that are heavy for their size.