Eggplant

Eggplant(US,CA,AU,NZ,PH),aubergine(UK,IE),brinjal(IN,SG,MY,ZA), orbaigan(IN,GY)is a plantspeciesin thenightshade familySolanaceae.Solanum melongenais grown worldwide for its edible fruit.
Most commonly purple, the spongy, absorbent fruit is used inseveral cuisines. Typically used as avegetablein cooking, it is aberrybybotanicaldefinition. As a member of the genusSolanum, it is related to thetomato,chili pepper, andpotato, although those are of theNew Worldwhile the eggplant is of theOld World. Like the tomato, its skin and seeds can be eaten, but it is usually eaten cooked. Eggplant is nutritionally low inmacronutrientandmicronutrientcontent, but the capability of the fruit to absorb oils and flavors into its flesh through cooking expands its use in theculinary arts.
It was originallydomesticatedfrom the wild nightshade speciesthornorbitter apple,S. incanum,probably with two independent domestications: one inSouth Asia, and one inEast Asia.In 2021, world production of eggplants was 59 milliontonnes, with China and India combined accounting for 86% of the total.
The eggplant is a delicate, tropicalperennialplant often cultivated as atender or half-hardyannualintemperate climates. The stem is oftenspiny. Theflowersare white to purple in color, with a five-lobedcorollaand yellowstamens.Some common cultivars have fruit that is egg-shaped, glossy, and purple with white flesh and a spongy, "meaty" texture. Some other cultivars are white and longer in shape. The cut surface of the flesh rapidly turns brown when the fruit is cut open (oxidation).
Eggplant grows 40 to 150 cm (1 ft 4 in to 4 ft 11 in) tall,with large, coarselylobedleavesthat are 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) broad.Semiwild types can grow much larger, to 225 cm (7 ft 5 in), with large leaves over 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) broad. On wild plants, the fruit is less than3 cm (1+1⁄4in) in diameter
Botanically classified as aberry, the fruit contains numerous small, soft, edibleseedsthat taste bitter because they contain or are covered innicotinoidalkaloids, like the relatedtobacco.
The eggplant genome has 12 chromosomes.
There is no consensus about the place of origin of eggplant; the plant species has been described as native to South Asia,where it continues to grow wild, or Africa.It has been cultivated in southern and eastern Asia since prehistory. The first known written record of the plant is found inQimin Yaoshu, an ancient Chinese agricultural treatise completed in 544 CE.
Eggplant was introduced to Europe through theIberian Peninsula, where it became a staple amongMuslimandJewishcommunities.The presence of numerousArabicand North African names for the vegetable, coupled with the absence of ancient Greek and Roman names, suggests that it was cultivated in theMediterranean areabyArabsduring theearly Middle Ages, arriving in Spain in the 8th century.A book on agriculture byIbn Al-Awwamin 12th-centuryMuslim Spaindescribed how to grow aubergines.Records exist from later medieval Catalan and Spanish,as well as from 14th-century Italy.Unlike its popularity in Spain and limited presence insouthern Italy, the eggplant remained relatively obscure in other regions of Europe until the 17th century.
The aubergine is unrecorded in England until the 16th century. An English botany book in 1597 described the madde or raging Apple:
The Europeans brought it to the Americas.
Because of the plant's relationship with various othernightshades, the fruit was at one time believed to be extremely poisonous. The flowers and leaves can be poisonous if consumed in large quantities due to the presence ofsolanine.
The eggplant has a special place infolklore. In 13th-century Italian traditional folklore, the eggplant can cause insanity.In 19th-century Egypt, insanity was said to be "more common and more violent" when the eggplant is in season in the summer.
The plant and fruit have a profusion of English names.
The nameeggplantis usual inNorth American EnglishandAustralian English. First recorded in 1763, the word "eggplant" was originally applied to white cultivars, which look very much like hen's eggs (see image).Similar names are widespread in other languages, such as theIcelandictermeggaldinor theWelshplanhigyn ŵy.
The white, egg-shaped varieties of the eggplant's fruits are also known asgarden eggs,a term first attested in 1811.TheOxford English Dictionaryrecords that between 1797 and 1888, the namevegetable eggwas also used.
Whereaseggplantwas coined in English, most of the diverse other European names for the plant derive from theArabic:باذنجانbāḏinjān[bæːðɪnˈd͡ʒæːn]listen.Bāḏinjānis itself a loan-word in Arabic, whose earliest traceable origins lie in theDravidian languages. TheHobson-Jobsondictionary comments that "probably there is no word of the kind which has undergone such extraordinary variety of modifications, whilst retaining the same meaning, as this".
In English usage, modern names deriving from Arabicbāḏinjāninclude:
All theaubergine-type names have the same origin, in the Dravidian languages. Modern descendants of thisancient Dravidianword includeMalayalamvaṟutinaandTamilvaṟutuṇai.
The Dravidian word was borrowed into theIndo-Aryan languages, giving ancient forms such asSanskritandPalivātiṅ-gaṇa(alongside Sanskritvātigama) andPrakritvāiṃaṇa. According to the entrybrinjalin theOxford English Dictionary, the Sanskrit wordvātin-gānadenoted 'the class (that removes) the wind-disorder (windy humour)': that is,vātin-gānacame to be the name for eggplants because they were thought to cureflatulence. The modernHindustaniwords descending directly from the Sanskrit name arebainganandbegan.
The Indic wordvātiṅ-gaṇawas then borrowed intoPersianasbādingān. Persianbādingānwas borrowed in turn into Arabic asbāḏinjān(or, with thedefinite article,al-bāḏinjān). From Arabic, the word was borrowed into European languages.
Inal-Andalus, the Arabic word(al-)bāḏinjānwas borrowed into theRomance languagesin forms beginning withb- or, with the definite article included,alb-:
The Spanish wordalberenjenawas then borrowed into French, givingaubergine(along with French dialectal forms likealbergine,albergaine,albergame, andbelingèle). The French name was then borrowed into British English, appearing there first in the late eighteenth century.
Through thecolonial expansionof Portugal, the Portuguese formbringellawas borrowed into a variety of other languages:
Thus although Indian Englishbrinjalultimately originates in languages of the Indian Subcontinent, it actually came into Indian English via Portuguese.
The Arabic wordbāḏinjānwas borrowed intoGreekby the eleventh century CE. The Greek loans took a variety of forms, but crucially they began withm-, partly because Greek lacked the initialb-sound and partly throughfolk-etymologicalassociation with the Greek wordμέλας(melas), 'black'. Attested Greek forms includeματιζάνιον(matizanion, eleventh-century),μελιντζάνα(melintzana, fourteenth-century), andμελιντζάνιον(melintzanion, seventeenth-century).
From Greek, the word was borrowed intoItalianand medievalLatin, and onwards into French. Early forms include:
From these forms came the botanical Latinmelongēna. This was used byTournefortas agenusname in 1700, then byLinnaeusas aspeciesname in 1753. It remains in scientific use.
These forms also gave rise to theCaribbean Englishmelongene.
The Italianmelanzana, throughfolk-etymology, was adapted tomela insana('mad apple'): already by the thirteenth century, this name had given rise to a tradition that eggplants could cause insanity. Translated into English as 'mad-apple','rage-apple', or 'raging apple', this name for eggplants is attested from 1578 and the form 'mad-apple' may still be found inSouthern American English.
The plant is also known asguinea squashinSouthern American English. The termguineain the name originally denoted the fact that the fruits were associated with West Africa, specifically the region that is now the modern day countryGuinea.
It has been known as 'Jew's apple',apparently in relation to a belief that the fruit was first imported to theWest Indiesby Jewish people.
Differentcultivarsof the plant produce fruit of different size, shape, and color, though typically purple. The less common white varieties of eggplant are also known as Easter white eggplants, garden eggs, Casper or white eggplant. The most widely cultivated varieties—cultivars—in Europe and North America today are elongated ovoid,12–25 cm (4+1⁄2–10 in) long and6–9 cm (2+1⁄2–3+1⁄2in) broad with a dark purple skin.
A much wider range of shapes, sizes, and colors is grown in India and elsewhere in Asia. Larger cultivars weighing up to a kilogram (2.2 pounds) grow in the region between theGangesandYamunaRivers, while smaller ones are found elsewhere.Colors vary from white to yellow or green, as well as reddish-purple and dark purple. Some cultivars have a color gradient—white at the stem, to bright pink, deep purple or even black. Green or purple cultivars with white striping also exist. Chinese cultivars are commonly shaped like a narrower, slightly pendulouscucumber. Also, Asian cultivars of Japanese breeding are grown.
Bt brinjalis atransgeniceggplant that contains a gene from the soil bacteriumBacillus thuringiensis.This variety was designed to give the plant resistance tolepidopteraninsects such as the brinjal fruit and shoot borer (Leucinodes orbonalis) and fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera).
On 9 February 2010, the Environment Ministry of India imposed a moratorium on the cultivation of Bt brinjal after protests against regulatory approval of cultivated Bt brinjal in 2009, stating the moratorium would last "for as long as it is needed to establish public trust and confidence".This decision was deemed controversial, as it deviated from previous practices with othergenetically modified cropsin India.Bt brinjal was approved for commercial cultivation in Bangladesh in 2013.
Raw eggplant can have abitter taste, with anastringentquality, but it becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. Rinsing, draining, and salting the sliced fruit before cooking may remove the bitterness.The fruit is capable of absorbingcooking fatsand sauces, which may enhance the flavor of eggplant dishes.
Eggplant is used inthe cuisines of many countries. Due to its texture and bulk, it is sometimes used as ameat substituteinveganandvegetarian cuisines.Eggplant flesh is smooth. Its numerous seeds are small, soft and edible, along with the rest of the fruit, and do not have to be removed. Its thin skin is also edible, and so it does not have to be peeled. However, the green part at the top, thecalyx, does have to be removed when preparing an eggplant for cooking.
Eggplant can be steamed, stir-fried, pan fried, deep fried, barbecued, roasted, stewed, curried, or pickled. Many eggplant dishes are sauces made by mashing the cooked fruit. It can be stuffed. It is frequently, but not always, cooked with oil or fat.
Korean and Japanese eggplant varieties are typically thin-skinned.
InChinese cuisine, eggplants are known asqiézi(茄子). They are oftendeep friedand made into dishes such asyúxiāng-qiézi("fish fragrance eggplant")ordi sān xiān("three earthen treasures"). Elsewhere in China, such as inYunnan cuisine(in particular the cuisine of theDai people) they are barbecued or roasted, then split and either eaten directly with garlic, chilli, oil and coriander, or the flesh is removed and pounded to a mash (typically with a wooden pestle and mortar) before being eaten with rice or other dishes.
InJapanese cuisine, eggplants are known asnasuornasubiand use thesame charactersas Chinese (茄子). An example of it use is in the dishhasamiyaki(挟み焼き) in which slices of eggplant are grilled and filled with a meat stuffing.Eggplants also feature in several Japanese expression and proverbs, such as "Don't feed autumn eggplant to your wife"(秋茄子は嫁に食わすな,akinasu wa yome ni kuwasuna)(because their lack of seeds will reduce her fertility) and "Always listen to your parents"(親の意見と茄子の花は千に一つも無駄はない,oya no iken to nasu no hana wa sen ni hitotsu mo muda wa nai, literally: "not even one in a thousand of one's parents' opinions or the eggplant flowers is in vain").
InKorean cuisine, eggplants are known asgaji(가지). They are steamed,stir-fried, or pan-fried and eaten asbanchan(side dishes), such asnamul,bokkeum, andjeon.
In thePhilippines, eggplants are of the long and slender purple variety. They are known astalongand is widely used in many stew and soup dishes, likepinakbet.However the most popular eggplant dish istortang talong, an omelette made from grilling an eggplant, dipping it into beaten eggs, and pan-frying the mixture. The dish is characteristically served with the stalk attached. The dish has several variants, includingrellenong talongwhich is stuffed with meat and vegetables.Eggplant can also be grilled, skinned and eaten as a salad calledensaladang talong.Another popular dish isadobong talong, which is diced eggplant prepared with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic as anadobo.
Eggplant is widely used in its nativeIndia, for example insambar(a tamarind lentil stew),dalma(adalpreparation with vegetables, native toOdisha),chutney,curry(vankai), andachaar(a pickled dish). Owing to its versatile nature and wide use in both everyday and festive Indian food, it is often described as the "king of vegetables". Roasted, skinned, mashed, mixed withonions,tomatoes, andspices, and then slow cooked gives theSouth Asiandishbaingan bhartaorgojju, similar tosalată de vineteinRomania. Another version of the dish,begun-pora(eggplant charred or burnt), is very popular in Bangladesh and the east Indian states ofOdishaandWest Bengalwhere the pulp of the vegetable is mixed with raw chopped shallot, green chilies, salt, fresh coriander, and mustard oil. Sometimes fried tomatoes and deep-fried potatoes are also added, creating a dish calledbegun bhorta. In a dish from Maharashtra calledbharli vangi, small brinjals are stuffed with groundcoconut,peanuts, onions, tamarind, jaggery andmasala spices, and then cooked in oil. Maharashtra and the adjacent state of Karnataka also have an eggplant-based vegetarian pilaf called 'vangi bhat'.
Eggplant is often stewed, as in the Frenchratatouille, or deep-fried as in theItalianparmigiana di melanzane, the Turkishkarnıyarık, or Turkish, Greek, andLevantinemusakka/moussaka, andMiddle Easternand South Asian dishes. Eggplants can also be battered before deep-frying and served with a sauce made oftahiniand tamarind. InIranian cuisine, it is blended with whey askashk e bademjan, tomatoes asmirza ghassemi, or made into stew askhoresht-e-bademjan. It can be sliced and deep-fried, then served with plainyogurt(optionally topped with a tomato and garlic sauce), such as in theTurkish dishpatlıcan kızartması(meaning fried aubergines), or without yogurt, as inpatlıcan şakşuka. Perhaps the best-known Turkish eggplant dishes areimam bayıldı(vegetarian) andkarnıyarık(with minced meat). It may also be roasted in its skin until charred, so the pulp can be removed and blended with other ingredients, such as lemon, tahini, and garlic, as in theLevantinebaba ghanoush,Greekmelitzanosalata,Moroccanzaaloukand Romaniansalată de vinete.A mix of roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, chopped onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and spices is calledzacuscăinRomania, andajvarorpinjurin theBalkans.
A Spanish dish calledescalivadainCataloniacalls for strips of roasted aubergine, sweet pepper, onion, and tomato. InAndalusia, eggplant is mostly cooked thinly sliced, deep-fried in olive oil and served hot with honey (berenjenas a la Cordobesa). In theLa Mancharegion of central Spain, a small eggplant is pickled in vinegar, paprika, olive oil, and red peppers. The result is berenjena ofAlmagro, Ciudad Real. A Levantine specialty ismakdous, another pickling of eggplants, stuffed with red peppers and walnuts in olive oil. Eggplant can be hollowed out and stuffed with meat, rice, or other fillings, and then baked. InGeorgia, for example, it is fried and stuffed withwalnut pasteto makenigvziani badrijani.
Inmedieval Spain, eggplant, along with ingredients such as Swiss chard and chickpeas, was closely associated withJewishcuisine.TheKitāb al-Ṭabikh, a 13th-century Andalusian cookbook, features eggplant as the main ingredient in fifteen out of its nineteen vegetable dishes, indicating its significance in the local cuisine at the time.Jewish communities in Spain prepared eggplant in various ways, including in dishes likealmodrote, a casserole of eggplant and cheese. This dish and others became identifiers for Jews during theirexpulsion from Spainand theInquisition, and they were carried by the expelled Jews to their new homes in theOttoman Empire.The classicJudaeo-Spanishsong "Siete modos de gizar la berendgena" lists various methods of preparing eggplant that persisted among Jews in the Ottoman Empire.Today, eggplant remains a defining ingredient ofSephardic Jewish cuisine.
InIranian cuisine, eggplant (calledbādenjānorbādemjāninPersian) can be used in both appetizers and main courses.It can also be pickled in vinegar.The ideal eggplant in Iranian cuisine is long, straight, firm, and black.Based on howal-Raziuses the color of eggplant as a shorthand for purpleness in hisKitab al-hawi, it can be assumed that the dark purple kind of eggplant was the widely grown variety in Iran at his time (9th century).Its importance in Iran is alluded to in theAin-i-AkbariofAbu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, which says "this vegetable is on sale in the markets in Iran all the year round and in such abundance that it is sold for 1.5dams perseer" (which was a cheap price at that time).
In Iran, unlike places like Greece, Turkey, and North Africa, eggplant is cooked peeled and usually seasoned withcinnamonor especiallyturmeric.Most eggplant dishes are classified asnankhoreshi(eaten with bread), and they are commonly served as snacks alongside alcoholic beverages.
The 14th-century poet Boshaq At'ema refers to an early eggplant dish calledburani-e badenjan: chopped eggplant sautéed with onions and turmeric, then slowly cooked, and finally mixed withyogurt.The combination of eggplant andkashk(condensed whey) is popular in Iranian cuisine; it is found in dishes likekashk o badenjanas well asash-e kashk o badenjan(involving layers of sautéed eggplant, grilled onions, and red beans topped by kashk seasoned with turmeric).Another eggplant dish ismast o badenjan, also known asnazkhatuninTehran, which involves eggplant, yogurt, and driedmint.Eggplant can also be cooked in stews (khoreshes), either with lamb (khoresh-e badenjan) or with chicken and either unripe grapes or pomegranate juice (mosamma-ye badenjan).Variants ofab-gusht, eshkana,fesenjan, andkukualso make use of eggplant.Some regional dishes involving eggplant includebadenjan-polow, a dish mainly fromFarsandKermanthat combines white rice with a paste of chopped sautéed eggplant, chopped meat, and spices; as well as the northern Iranianbadenjan-e qasemi, a casserole using grilled eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, and eggs.
Eggplants are traditionally among the foods that get preserved and stored for winter in Iran.They are selected in the last month of summer, when they are most readily available, then peeled, and finally preserved in one of two ways.In the first way, the peeled eggplants are cut, salted, and left to "sweat" (to make them lessbilious); then they are sun-dried by hanging them on a line.The dried eggplants are then rehydrated 24 hours before being cooked.In the second way, the peeled eggplants are cooked in oil, put in a copper pot, and finally covered with plenty of hot oil, "which congeals to seal them".
Medieval Iranian writers such as al-Razi andal-Birunicautioned that eggplant contains harmful qualities, and it must be ripe and cooked before eating to neutralize them.They wrote that it could cause heat and dryness and an excess ofblack bile, contributing to a wide range of health problems.If the "salt" in it was removed, or it was cooked in oil or vinegar, then they wrote that eggplant gained healthy attributes.Present-day Iranian attitudes to the eggplant reflect this medical tradition's influence: the eggplant is "considered rather dangerous... a cook in Tehran will say that the poison must be taken out".People also use eggplant seeds as anexpectorantto relieveasthmaandcatarrh.
Raw eggplant is 92% water, 6%carbohydrates, 1%protein, and has negligiblefat(table). It provides low amounts ofessential nutrients, with onlymanganesehaving a moderate percentage (10%) of theDaily Value. Minor changes in nutrient composition occur with season, environment of cultivation (open field orgreenhouse), andgenotype.
Intropicalandsubtropical climates, eggplant can be sown in the garden. Eggplant grown intemperateclimates fares better when transplanted into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Eggplant prefers hot weather, and when grown in cold climates or in areas with low humidity, the plants languish or fail to set and produce mature fruit.Seeds are typically started eight to 10 weeks prior to the anticipatedfrost-free date.S. melongenais included on a list of lowflammabilityplants, indicating that it is suitable for growing within a building protection zone.
Spacing should be 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 in) between plants, depending on cultivar, and 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) between rows, depending on the type of cultivation equipment being used.Mulchinghelps conserve moisture and prevent weeds and fungal diseases and the plants benefit from some shade during the hottest part of the day.Hand pollinationby shaking the flowers improves the set of the first blossoms. Growers typically cut fruits from the vine just above the calyx owing to the somewhat woody stems. Flowers arecomplete, containing both female and male structures, and may beself-orcross-pollinated.
Many of the pests and diseases that afflict othersolanaceousplants, such as tomato, capsicum, and potato, are also troublesome to eggplants. For this reason, it should generally not be planted in areas previously occupied by its close relatives. However, since eggplants can be particularly susceptible to pests such aswhiteflies, they are sometimes grown with slightly less susceptible plants, such aschili pepper, as a sacrificialtrap crop. Four years should separate successive crops of eggplants to reduce pest pressure.
Common North American pests include thepotato beetles,flea beetles,aphids, whiteflies, andspider mites. Good sanitation andcrop rotationpractices are extremely important for controlling fungal disease, the most serious of which isVerticillium.
The potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) is an oligophagous insect that prefers to feed on plants of the family Solanaceae such as eggplants. FemaleP. operculellause the leaves to lay their eggs and the hatched larvae will eat away at the mesophyll of the leaf.
Several differentPhytoplasmascauselittle leaf of brinjal, which is agriculturally significant in South Asia. This is spread by theleafhopperHishimonus phycitis.
In 2022, world production was 59 milliontonnes, led by China with 65% and India with 22% (table).
The color of purple skin cultivars is due to theanthocyaninnasunin.
Thebrowningof eggplant flesh results from theoxidationofpolyphenols, such as the most abundantphenolic compoundin the fruit,chlorogenic acid.
Case reports of itchy skin or mouth, mild headache, and stomach upset after handling or eating eggplant have been reported anecdotally and published in medical journals (see alsooral allergy syndrome).A 2021 review indicated that possibly four interacting mechanisms may elicit anallergic responsefrom consuming eggplant:lipid transfer protein,profilin,polyphenol oxidase, and pollen reactions.
A 2008 study of a sample of 741 people in India, where eggplant is commonly consumed, found nearly 10% reported some allergic symptoms after consuming eggplant, with 1.4% showing symptoms within two hours.Contact dermatitis from eggplant leaves and allergy to eggplant flower pollen have also been reported.
Individuals who areatopic(genetically predisposed to developing certain allergichypersensitivityreactions) are more likely to have a reaction to eggplant, which may be because eggplant is high inhistamines.Cooking eggplant thoroughly seems to preclude reactions in some individuals, but some of the allergenic proteins may survive the cooking process.
The eggplant is quite often featured in the older scientific literature under thejunior synonymsS. ovigerumandS. trongum. Several other names that are now invalid have been uniquely applied to it:
A number ofsubspeciesandvarietieshave been named, mainly by Dikii, Dunal, and (invalidly) by Sweet. Names for various eggplant types, such asagreste, album, divaricatum, esculentum, giganteum, globosi, inerme, insanum, leucoum, luteum, multifidum, oblongo-cylindricum, ovigera, racemiflorum, racemosum, ruber, rumphii, sinuatorepandum, stenoleucum, subrepandum, tongdongense, variegatum, violaceum, viride, are not considered to refer to anything more than cultivar groups at best. However,Solanum incanumandcockroach berry(S. capsicoides), other eggplant-like nightshades described byLinnaeusandAllioni, respectively, were occasionally considered eggplant varieties, but this is not correct.
The eggplant has a long history oftaxonomicconfusion with thescarletandEthiopianeggplants (Solanum aethiopicum), known asgiloandnakati, respectively, and described by Linnaeus asS. aethiopicum. The eggplant was sometimes considered a varietyviolaceumof that species.S. violaceumofde Candolleapplies to Linnaeus'S. aethiopicum. An actualS. violaceum, an unrelated plant described by Ortega, included Dunal'sS. amblymerumand was often confused with the same author'sS. brownii.
Like the potato andS. lichtensteinii, but unlike the tomato, which then was generally put in a different genus, the eggplant was also described asS. esculentum, in this case once more in the course ofDunal's work. He also recognized the varietiesaculeatum,inerme, andsubinermeat that time. Similarly,H.C.F. SchuhmacherandPeter Thonningnamed the eggplant asS. edule, which is also a junior synonym ofsticky nightshade(S. sisymbriifolium).Scopoli'sS. zeylanicumrefers to the eggplant, and that of Blanco toS. lasiocarpum.