What is an Eggplant?

The eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash (Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades) and genus Solanum. It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used in cooking. As a nightshade, it is closely related to the tomato and potato. It is native to India.
It is a delicate perennial often cultivated as an annual. It grows 40 to 150 cm (16 to 57 in) tall, with large coarsely lobed leaves that are 10 to 20 cm (4–8 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2–4 in) broad. Semiwild types can grow much larger, to 225 cm (7 ft) with large leaves over 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) broad. The stem is often spiny. The flowers are white to purple, with a five-lobed corolla and yellow stamens. The fruit is fleshy, has a meaty texture, and is less than 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter on wild plants, but much larger in cultivated forms.

The eggplant fruit is botanically classified as a berry, and contains numerous small, soft seeds, which are edible, but have a bitter taste because they contain nicotinoid alkaloids; this is unsurprising as it is a close relative of tobacco.

The raw eggplant fruit can have a somewhat bitter taste, but becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. Traditionally, recipes for eggplant would advise the salting, rinsing and draining of the sliced fruit (known as “degorging”) to soften it and to reduce the amount of fat absorbed during cooking, but mainly to remove the bitterness of the earlier cultivars. Some modern varieties – including those large, purple varieties commonly imported into western Europe – do not need this treatment. The eggplant fruit is capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, allowing for very rich dishes, but the salting process will reduce the amount of oil absorbed. The eggplant flesh is smooth; as in the related tomato, the numerous seeds are soft and edible along with the rest of the fruit. The thin skin is also edible, so peeling is not required.

The eggplant is used in cuisines from Japan to Spain. It is often stewed, as in the French ratatouille, the Italian parmigiana di melanzane, the Turkish karn?yar?k or mussaka, and Middle-Eastern and South Asian dishes. Eggplant can also be battered before deep-frying and served with a sauce made of tahini and tamarind. In Iranian cuisine, it can be blended with whey as kashk e-bademjan, tomatoes as mirza ghasemior made into stew as khoresh-e-bademjan. It can be sliced and deep-fried, then served with plain yogurt, (optionally) topped with a tomato and garlic sauce, such as in the Turkish dish patl?can k?zartmas?(meaning: fried eggplant) or without yogurt as in patl?can ?ak?uka. However, arguably the most famous Turkish eggplant dish duo is ?mam bay?ld? (vegetarian) and Karn?yar?k (with minced meat).

Eggplant 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 the Middle Eastern dish baba ghanoush and the similar Greek dish melitzanosalata. Grilled eggplant, mashed and mixed with onions, tomatoes and spices make the Indian dish baingan ka Bhartha or gojju, similar to salat? de vinete in Romania, while a mix of roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, chopped onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery and spices is called zacusc? in Romania or ajvar in Serbia and the Balkans. A simpler version of the dish, Begun-Pora (eggplant-charred or burnt), is popular in the east Indian state of Bengal and Bangladesh where the charred pulp is mixed with raw chopped onions, green chillies, salt and mustard oil. A Catalan dish called Escalivada calls for strips of roasted eggplant, sweet pepper, onion and tomato.

The fruit can also be stuffed with meat, rice, or other fillings and then baked. In the Caucasus, for example, it is fried and stuffed with walnut paste to make nigvziani badrijani. It can also be found in Chinese cuisine, braised, stewed, steamed, or stuffed.

As a native plant, it is widely used in Indian cuisine, for example in sambhar, dalma (a dal preparation with vegetables, native to Orissa), chutney, curry, and achaar. Owing to its versatile nature and wide use in both everyday and festive Indian food, it is often described (under the name brinjal) as the “King of Vegetables”. In one dish, brinjal is stuffed with ground coconut, peanuts, and masala, and then cooked in oil.

MOUSSAKA

Moussaka is best cooked the day before required for easier cutting. Recipe unsuitable to freeze.

1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
coarse cooking salt
oil
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons packaged
breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

MEAT LAYER
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1kg minced lamb
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
425g can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

CHEESE SAUCE LAYER
60g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sprinkle eggplant with salt; stand 30 minutes, rinse under cold water and pat dry with absorbent paper.

Heat oil in large frying pan, cook potatoes and eggplant in batches until tender, drain on absorbent paper. Lightly grease ovenproof dish (8 cup (2 litre) capacity), sprinkle base with half the breadcrumbs. Layer half the eggplant in dish, sprinkle with a third of parmesan cheese and spoon
over half the meat sauce. Add potatoes in a layer, sprinkle with another third of parmesan cheese, then spoon over remaining meat sauce, finish with a layer of eggplant. Pour hot cheese sauce over eggplant, sprinkle with combined remaining parmesan cheese and crumbs. Bake in moderate oven for 1 hour.

Meat Sauce: Heat oil in large frying pan, add onion and garlic, cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add mince, cook, stirring, until well browned. Stir in parsley, undrained crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, oregano and cinnamon; bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Process meat sauce in several batches until fine.

Cheese Sauce Layer: Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour, cook for 1 minute; stir constantly. Gradually stir in milk, cream and nutmeg, stir constantly over heat until sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stand 5 minutes, stir in cheese and egg.

< strong>CHEESY BAKED EGGPLANTS

You will need to cook 1/4 cup rice for this recipe. Recipe unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

2 medium eggplants
coarse cooking salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 bacon rashers, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, chopped
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
½ cup grated tasty cheese

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese Slice eggplants in half lengthways, scoop out flesh, leaving 2cm shell; sprinkle inside shells and scooped flesh with salt; stand 30 minutes. Rinse under water to remove salt; drain on absorbent paper. Chop flesh roughly. Heat oil in saucepan, add onion, garlic and bacon, cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add tomatoes and flesh, cover, cook over heat for about 2 minutes or until soft.

Add 1/4, cup of the rice, mix well, spoon into eggplant. Combine remaining rice, chives and cheeses in small bowl, sprinkle evenly over eggplant. Place on lightly greased oven tray, bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes or until hot.

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