Eggplant
Solanum melongena · Fruit vegetable
5 varietiesTop 10 pairings
A glossy, deep-purple nightshade fruit cooked as a vegetable, also called aubergine or brinjal. Its spongy flesh is bland raw but turns silky and almost meaty when roasted, grilled or fried, soaking up oil and smoke.
Picking a good onedrag
Glossy, heavy, springs backDull, light, spongy
Shop firmEveryday bestThe all-rounder: roast, fry, stew, parmigiana.
CapCap green, edges drying back
SkinGlossy, a scuff or two
The pressDent fades as you watch
Smell at the capAlmost no smell at all
What you get from one
97%
Edible part
548 g · cap and stem off
565 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
Below 10 °C it pits and its seeds brown; in a 5 °C fridge that takes about a week.
90–95%
Humidity
Loosely bagged
Airflow