 | | Name: | Eggplant | | Synonym: | Aubergine | | Plural names: | eggplant |
| Description: | The aubergine, eggplant, or brinjal (Solanum melongena) is a solanaceous plant bearing a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. It is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to southern India and Sri Lanka. It is an annual plant growing 40 - 150 cm tall (16 in - 57 in), often spiny, with large coarsely lobed leaves 10-20 cm long and 5-10 cm broad. The flowers are white to purple, with a five-lobed corolla and yellow stamens. The fruit is a fleshy berry, less than 3 cm in diameter on wild plants, but much larger in cultivated forms. The fruit contains numerous small, soft seeds. (Semi-)wild types can grow much larger, to 225 cm (84 in.) with large leaves over 30 cm long and 15 cm broad
The raw fruit can have a somewhat bitter taste but, when cooked, becomes tender and develops a rich, complex flavour. Salting and then rinsing the sliced aubergine will soften and remove much of the bitterness. This process is called degorging. However, many modern varieties do not need this treatment as they are not that bitter. The aubergine is capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, allowing for very rich dishes. On the other hand, if it is undesirable for the aubergine to absorb a lot of oil then the salting process will reduce this effect. The fruit 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 that the aubergine need not be peeled.
The aubergine is used in cuisines from Japan to Spain. It is often served stewed, as in the French ratatouille, the Levantine moussaka, and many South Asian dishes. It may also be roasted in its skin until charred, so that the pulp can be removed and blended with other ingredients, as in the Middle Eastern dish baba ghanouj and the similar Greek dish melitzanosalata. It can be sliced, battered, and deep-fried, then served with various sauces: yoghurt-based, tahini-based, or tamarind-based. The aubergine 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.
As a native plant, it is widely used in the South Indian cuisine, for example in sambhars, chutneys, curries, and kootus. Owing to its versatile nature and wide use, in both everyday and festive South Indian food, it is often described (under the name brinjal) as the 'King of Vegetables' in South India.
Peeled and roasted aubergine/brinjal, mixed with onions, tomatoes, and spices for flavour, makes up the Indian dish called Baingan ka bharta (also known as vangyacha bharta in Marathi).
For some recipes, the aubergine's high moisture content must be drained before cooking. Slicing the aubergine, lightly sprinkling the slices with salt, and laying them out on a paper or cloth towel for 20-30 minutes will accomplish this and also reduce any potential bitter flavor.
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