Eggplant
Scientific Binomial Name: Solanum melongena
Selection Information
Usage: Baked, microwaved or fried.
Selection: Good quality eggplant should be firm, dark-colored with smooth & shiny skin and relatively light for its size. Eggplant can be any size from small to quite large and may be egg-shaped to almost round.
Avoid: Avoid product that is soft, has blemishes, discolored marks or soft spots. Eggplant with wrinkled and dull colored skin indicates old product.
Seasonal Information
Available year-round from California and Florida.
Eggplant Nutritional Information
|
Serving Size: 1 cup raw Eggplant, cubed (84g)
|
|
| Amount Per Serving |
|
|
Calories 20
|
Calories from Fat 1
|
|
|
% Daily Value* |
|
Total Fat 0 |
0% |
|
Cholesterol 0mg |
0% |
|
Sodium 2mg |
0% |
|
Total Carbohydrate 5g |
2% |
|
Dietary Fiber 3g |
11% |
|
Sugars 2g |
|
|
Protein 1g |
|
|
Vitamin A 0% |
Vitamin C 3% |
|
Calcium 1% |
Iron 1% |
|
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
|
Eggplant is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It's also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a great source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
Eggplant Tips & Trivia
- Originally an Oriental ornamental plant, eggplant got its name from yellow and white fruited varieties with egg-sized fruits.
- In India and Medieval Europe, eggplant was credited with remarkable properties as a love potion. By the 16th Century, northern Europeans were calling eggplants, "mad apples" in the belief that consumption would cause insanity.
- Eggplant were brought to America by Spaniards as "berengenas," meaning apples of love.
- Ladies in the high society of China once made black dye from dark eggplant skins and used it to stain their teeth to a black lustre, a fashionable cosmetic use.