Eggplant. Photo by Kathleen Yetman.
By Kathleen Yetman
Eggplant, or aubergine (Solanum melongena), is a plant in the nightshade family domesticated in Asia thousands of years ago. The plant is indigenous to an area encompassing Northeast India, Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southwest China. Descriptions of the plant have been found in Sanskrit documents as early as 300 B.C.E. By the Middle Ages, eggplant had spread to the Mediterranean area and from there north into Europe and south into Africa.
Eggplant is closely related to tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, which are also members of the Solanum family. Here in Yavapai County, seeds are generally germinated in a greenhouse in the spring, and seedlings are transplanted in the ground in between April and June. The plant is technically a perennial but is usually grown as an annual with a harvesting season between July and November. The fruit is botanically a berry with dozens of edible seeds inside. Eggplants come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors: slender and oblong, round, the size of a butternut squash and as small as a golf ball. Black, dark purple, lilac, reddish-purple, orange, green, yellow, white, and purple, and white striped varieties can usually be found at farmers markets. The name “eggplant” was given to the small, round white variety that resembles a chicken egg during the British occupation of India.
Eggplant is popular in food cultures around the world. It’s the main ingredient in the Arab dish baba ghanoush and the Italian dish ratatouille. It’s widely used in Indian cuisine and appears in popular dishes in Turkey, Bangladesh, Romania, Greece and Iran. It is bitter when raw, but softens when cooked. Eggplant can be prepared in many ways —t he most popular of which are roasting, stewing, and sautéing. Its meaty flesh is capable of absorbing vast amounts of oils and fats, making many dishes rich. Eggplant is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1 and copper. Recent research has revealed that eggplant hosts dozens of compounds that function as antioxidants, making the fruit a healthy addition to meals.
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The Prescott Summer Market is 7:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays at Yavapai College, parking lot D. The Chino Valley Market is 3-6 p.m. Thursdays at Olsen’s Grain parking lot. Find out more at PrescottFarmersMarket.Org.
Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.