Aubergine, also known as eggplant or brinjal, is technically a fruit . However, due to its taste and texture, it’s normally classed and eaten as a vegetable. Like the tomato (another fruit that’s been thrown in with veggies), aubergine can be eaten raw with seeds and skin included.
Is aubergine a fruit or a vegetable?
Aubergine is generally treated as a vegetable when it is cooked, though it’s technically a fruit (a berry, to be exact). Native to South-East Asia, it’s grown all over the world, and there are many different varieties.
This begs the query “What is an aubergine?”
An aubergine is a solanaceous fruit native to Asia. Many Americans know the fruit better as an eggplant, while some regions of India refer to it as a brinjal. There are numerous other regional names for the aubergine, which plays a role in the cuisine of many nations.
One source stated globally, a number of different varieties of aubergine are grown, ranging from the long finger like Japanese eggplant to plump globular fruit. The color can range from white to deep purple, and the shape morphs from almost spherical fruits to oblong ones.
Moreover, what does an aubergine look like?
One answer is that the color can range from white to deep purple, and the shape morphs from almost spherical fruits to oblong ones. In all cases, aubergine needs to be cooked before it can be eaten, and larger, older fruits tend to get bitter.
In addition to the classic purple variety, aubergines are available in other colours, including lavender, jade green, orange and yellow, and are also available in a range of shapes and sizes. The most popular variety of aubergine looks like a large, pear-shaped egg, hence the American name ‘eggplant.’.
Aubergine flowers range in color from white to pale purple, depending on cultivar. The common name of “eggplant” comes from the resemblance that some of the fruits have to eggs. “Aubergine” derives from a Persian word, badenjan.
What do aubergines taste like?
Their flavour is exceptionally mild, like mulch and damp J-cloth. Raw, an aubergine has a texture akin to a woolly apple; its cooked flesh disintegrates into slimy mush or takes on a leathery sogginess.
Why does aubergine taste bitter?
Aubergine contains these compounds in abundance, and they are also responsible for its bitter taste. Not only that, but they are also the reason why aubergines brown rapidly when cut.
Can aubergines be eaten raw?
Eggplant, also called aubergine, is part of the nightshade family, along with potatoes and tomatoes, and does contain the toxin solamine. Most people can eat a reasonable amount of raw eggplant without experiencing adverse effects from the solamine, though some people can be sensitive to it and experience gastrointestinal discomfort.
If the skin is in good shape, it is edible, though some varieties have skin that is too tough to eat. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler if you think it’s wise – younger aubergine skin is fine to eat, but older, more ripened aubergine skin has a bitter taste. Cut off the stem and base, too. How do you prepare an aubergine?
Can you eat aubergine raw?
Like the tomato (another fruit that’s been thrown in with veggies), aubergine can be eaten raw with seeds and skin included. Still, it’s decidedly more pleasant to consume after cooking it for a while.
One of the next things we wondered was: can you eat eggplant raw?
So, while you can eat a very small amount of raw eggplant, it is usually not recommended. It tastes best when roasted, cooked, stir-fried, or baked. Mature eggplants have negligible or no solanine present in them.
Do aubergines need to be refrigerated?
Aubergines like to be kept cool but not cold. The fridge may encourage soft spots to form, so a cool dark cupboard can be a better option. They’re best used as soon as possible after you have bought them – the skin will start to wrinkle as they age.