Eggplant
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.
Nutritional Information
Serving size 1/5 medium (84g)
Calories 25
Total Fat 0g
Sodium 0mg
Total Carbohydrate 5g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 1g
% of U.S. RDA
Vitamin A 0%
Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 2%
Iron 2%
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.