Subject: THE WONDERFUL EGGPLANT

From: [email-masked] (trh trh)
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 19:39:12 GMT

THE WONDERFUL EGGPLANT 
                                  by Judy Erkanat 
 
Eggplant dishes are featured on tables and menus from Istanbul to 
San Francisco. Every Turkish cook worth his or her salt has a special 
eggplant recipe or two hidden in an apron pocket somewhere. The most 
adaptable of all vegetables, eggplants work well as meze or salad, but 
can also be simmered into soups, main dishes, and even desert. Some 
interesting facts on the versatile vegetable follow; watch next  TAAC 
newsletter for some recipes that just may come as a surprise. 
 
NUTRITIONAL FACTS 
 
Our own patl}can is called aubergine in England and France,  melanzane 
in Italy, and badimjan in Persia. Its nicknames have included 'guinea 
squash,' 'Jew's apple,' and 'apple of love.' In the Caribbean, a small, 
pale green version with darker green streaks bears the curious name of 
susumber.  
 
But an eggplant by any name still rates as the world's most versatile 
vegetable. In California, we can find a number of varieties on local 
supermarket shelves, right next to the tomatoes and potatoes, with which 
the eggplant shares the dubious family tree of nightshade. 
 
It is interesting that, though eggplants have no protein of their own, 
they are often used as a meat substitute. This could be because they 
are so filling and economical, especially when combined with cheese and 
eggs to up their nutritional capacity. With a good fiber content, the 
vegetable's taste is almost potato-like in its plain state, taking on the 
flavor of whatever it is cooked with. Firm and almost crispy when poached, 
soft and pliant when fried, and creamy when baked or grilled, eggplant 
finds its way into everything from casseroles to purees. The vegetable 
is naturally low in calories and has no cholesterol or fat content before 
cooking. 
 
INTERNATIONAL HISTORY 
 
Native to Southeast Asia, where it was first grown as an ornamental 
plant, the eggplant's first recorded use as a food was in India. In 
the fourth century, the eggplant conquered the Arabian Peninsula, where 
it was called 'egg fruit' because early varieties resembled hens' eggs 
in color and shape. 
 
China wasn't far behind in discovering the vast possibilities of the 
useful vegetable. During the fifth century, Chinese took the skins of 
blackish-purple eggplants to make a cosmetic dye that was used to give 
their teeth the gleam of burnished metal. In the thirteenth century, the 
Italian city-states of Pisa, Genoa, and Venice imported the eggplant from 
the East along with the Indian spices that served to extend the 
vegetable's mysteriously exotic reputation. 
 
Meanwhile, in Medieval Europe, eggplants were being used in love 
potions and were said to be an aphrodisiac. Called 'melainsana,' or mad 
apple, eating them was thought to produce that most divine madness -- love. 
 
The Turkish love affair with eggplant is a long one. Sixteenth century 
Ottoman Turkish cookbooks featured upwards of 140 recipes using the 
popular vegetable. Eggplant continued its westward migration in 1806, 
when Spain and Portugal exported it to their respective New World colonies. 
 
CURRENT POPULARITY 
 
Today, eggplant is especially well-known in the gardens and markets of 
the Mediterranean, where it has attained the status of 'poor man's 
meat' in Italy. In the Middle East, it is one of the staples of 
kitchens from Marrakech to Mecca. An Arabian bride's dowry can be 
determined by the number of eggplant dishes she knows how to cook. One 
hundred qualifies her as a Sultan's wife; 50 could net her a wealthy 
businessman; and with only 25, she might have to settle for a common 
vegetable vendor. 
 
In the Middle East and in Europe, as in Turkey, eggplants are typically  
small and elongated, coming in various shades from lilac to deep 
midnight. Here in the United States, large purple ovoids have long been 
available, though today the smaller varieties are also easily found. 
Other varieties include the white oriental kind and baby green eggplant. 
Eggplants are available all year round and can be grown anywhere 
the winters are mild. The plants take four months from seed to 
germination to mature fruit. 
 
CHOOSING AND PREPARATION TIPS 
 
When choosing an eggplant, look for taut skin and a sleek, shiny surface 
free from blemishes or wrinkles. Those with smooth, not shriveled or 
broken skin, are the best and the freshest. When buying eggplants, 
allow one medium globe eggplant (about 1-1/2 pounds) for four-to-six 
servings. Eggplants store best at cool room temperature, around 50 
degrees Fahrenheit. Store in a dry place where the vegetables do not 
touch. Best when purchased close to cooking time, eggplants can be 
rinsed and dried, then wrapped individually in paper towels before 
resting for a few days in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. 
 
 Eggplants can be prepared with or without their skins. lf the vegetable 
is baked for a little over an hour, the skin becomes edible and may be 
retained. When cooking eggplants for a shorter time, it is better to 
peel them first. Different varieties taste imperceptibly the same and 
are interchangeable in recipes. A general rule of thumb is to use the 
smaller, longer versions for stuffing or pickling, and the larger kind for 
slicing or cubing in recipes calling for deep frying, sauteeing, or 
stewing. 
 
Eggplants contain a slightly bitter liquid. This can be removed in 
several ways. The most common is to salt and drain the peeled, cut-up 
eggplant for at least 30 minutes, then rinse well under cool water and 
pat dry. To retain the vegetable's shape for stuffing, parboil it whole. 
Or broil the entire eggplant until its skin is almost charcoal for a 
unique smoky taste. Soaking salted and drained eggplant pieces in milk 
keeps them from absorbing too much oil during frying. 
 
The eggplant can be souffled, stuffed, sauteed, fried, boiled, baked, 
broiled -- and is excellent both hot and cold. Its flavor changes to 
accommodate the other ingredients with which it is cooked. Watch the 
next TAAC newsletter for some recipes sure to surprise and delight 
eggplant lovers everywhere. 

-- 
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