Eggplants are part of the nightshade family. In the 16th century, many Europeans called eggplants “raging apples” because it could either be an aphrodisiac or potentially poisonous — due to it being a fruit from that same family. What a choice to have to make! According to my research, plants in the nightshade family can be medicinal or ornamental; some are spices, some are weeds.
The edible nightshades — peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes — all have alkaloids in them, which can have positive effects on your health. Though there’s some controversy about them causing inflammation, it’s generally thought that the benefits far outweigh any possible side effects. Eggplant is low in fat, has antioxidants, like vitamin C, and polyphenols, which help reduce sugar absorption.
So, why isn’t eggplant more popular? From a survey of my friends, most like the flavor of eggplant but either don’t really know how to cook it or only cook it once a year in a ratatouille. I like ratatouille but there’s so much more you can make with eggplant. You can stuff it; stir fry it with peppers, black beans and tofu; broil it, then spoon out the flesh and mash it with a bit of olive oil, garlic and lemon as a dip (a lighter version of baba ganoush); roast it along with other veggies and make a pasta salad; or grill it for an eggplant Parmesan.
There’re a lot of different sizes and shapes of eggplant. Though we are more familiar with the purple ones, there’re green ones from.
