Italian

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All about Eggplant
Though it is treated like a vegetable, eggplant (a member of the
nightshade family along with tomatoes and potatoes) is actually a
giant berry.
Western, or globe, eggplant is the most common and versatile
variety, and you can find it year-round, though in most parts of
the country, the peak season is late summer. Though it needs
a little preparation, the reward is a succulent, silky treat. The
globe eggplant’s larger size enables you to get slices and chunks.
It varies in size from 3/4 to 1 1/4 lb., with dark purple skin. A fresh
globe eggplant has pale pulp with a few noticeable seeds, which
darken and become bitter as the eggplant matures. Eggplant
with parts of dark, hardened pulp and lots of dark seeds will be a
disappointment—these parts must be removed; otherwise, the
flavor and the texture of the finished dish will suffer.
Globe eggplant, whose flesh is especially spongelike, tends to soak up more oil than other
varieties. If you’ve ever brushed a raw, unsalted slice with oil, you’ve probably noticed how readily the
eggplant absorbs it. Salting draws out water and helps collapse the air pockets in globe eggplant’s
spongy flesh. This makes the eggplant much less able to soak up lots of oil during frying or grilling.
Eggplant varieties other than globe are worth seeking out. All have tender flesh and seeds and
none need peeling (unless you’re roasting and puréeing them for a dip). These varieties don’t absorb
as much oil as globe eggplant, nor are they bitter:
• Italian eggplant is smaller than the globe variety. It’s lobed, with dark purple skin and green leaves.
• Chinese eggplant is elongated, slender, and has light purple skin. It’s quick-cooking, which makes
it a good candidate for stir-frying.
• Japanese eggplant is also elongated, slender, and quick-cooking. This variety has dark purple skin.
Its brownish leaves distinguish it from the Italian eggplant.
• White eggplant is oval, with a beautiful eggshell-white hue; one look will tell you how eggplant
earned its name. The flesh is especially creamy and is less bitter than darker-hued eggplant.
• Southeast Asian eggplant is the size of a cherry tomato, green-striped or purple. It’s quite bitter
and best for pickling.
How to choose
At the market, look for eggplant with smooth,
shiny skin that’s unwrinkled. The fruit should feel
firm and spring back slightly when you touch it.
Try to find an eggplant with a stem that looks
moist, as if recently cut.
How to prep
Eggplant is one vegetable for which slight
undercooking will not work. It must be completely
cooked through until it’s meltingly soft,
smooth, and creamy; only then will it be flavorful
on its own, as well as receptive to the other
flavors with which you’ll blend it.
How to store
It’s best to use eggplant when it’s very fresh, but
it will keep for 2 or 3 days in the crisper drawer of
the refrigerator.
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