This vegetable has a slight bitterness which some people don't like. To remove this flavor, you can slice the eggplant, sprinkle over salt and leave it for half an hour or a longer time. The salt draws up the bitter liquid. Rinse the salt off and pat off any excess moisture with a paper towel. Proceed with your eggplant parmesan, baba ghanoush, or whichever eggplant recipes you're making.