Eggplant, often overlooked in cooking, is nevertheless a very interesting vegetable from a nutritional point of view.
Mashed, fried, stuffed, in curries, moussakas, ratatouille, gratins or grilled on the barbecue, this vegetable with a soft texture and light taste goes well with our most creative recipes and gives a beautiful texture to the dishes. Star of Mediterranean dishes, it can also replace meat in certain dishes such as lasagna.
Very low in calories, this vegetable from the Solanaceae family is a source of fiber and has a high antioxidant potential. The phenolic acids with which it is full are among the antioxidants best recognized for their effectiveness.
A healthful ally
In addition, this healthy slimming vegetable is, among other things, a source of manganese as well as vitamins B1 and B6.
To fully benefit from its antioxidant action, it is best to consume it with its beautiful purple skin, rich in anthocyanins.
The fiber in eggplant stimulates bowel movement and its low calorie content can aid in weight loss.
Growing eggplant at home
Eggplant grows very well in a container outdoors. Experience it yourself and you will have the pleasure of seeing this beautiful plant adorn itself with magnificent purple flowers before harvesting delicious eggplants!
There is a wide variety of eggplants in different colors and sizes, from white to purple and green to yellow. The most popular is undoubtedly the Barbentane, cylindrical in shape and a beautiful dark purple color.
Eggplant’s beginnings
The first cultures to enjoy eggplant are said to have emerged in India. It has been part of our eating habits for over 4,000 years. Eggplant is believed to have appeared in China around 700 BC. The Arab world discovered it in the 9th century, while Spain adopted it around the 11th century. Its appearance in America dates back to the 16th century under the influence of Asian and Italian immigrants.
For a long time, it was called melanzena or mala insana (fruit of madness) and was believed to be poisonous because of a certain resemblance to the purple flower of the mandrake. Some thought it made people crazy because of this strange color, others, that it caused high fevers or even epileptic seizures. In the end, it was used for a long time as an ornamental plant.
The term “aubergine,” which appeared around 1750, is said to be a derivative of the Catalan word albergina, which is believed to have been borrowed from the Arabic al-baddinjân.
Today eggplant grows almost everywhere on the planet. In Arab countries, it is still nicknamed the “caviar of the poor.”
Storing eggplant
Eggplant doesn’t really like the cold in the fridge, so it’s best to cook it quickly after purchase. Ideally, don’t leave it more than a week in the vegetable drawer.
However, it is possible to freeze it. Cut it into thick slices, blanch for five minutes in lemon water, cool and drain, then place in freezer bags. In order to easily remove them, it is advisable to separate each slice with a sheet of waxed paper. They can then cooked without thawing.
Tip
The excess water of the eggplant can be removed before cooking, by salting the slices placed on a platter and letting them sweat for about fifteen minutes. Then run the slices in water to remove the salt, before carefully blotting them. You can repeat the same process to ensure a better result. This way, the eggplant loses some of its water, thereby does not add water when cooking. If you sauté it in a pan, use little oil so as not to saturate it and thus prevent it from softening too much.
Source :
https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=aubergine_nu
https://www.selection.ca/cuisine/nutrition/laubergine-un-legume-a-decouvrir/
https://www.jardiner-malin.fr/sante/aubergine-bienfaits-vertu.html
https://www.lapresse.ca/maison/cour-et-jardin/jardiner/200802/13/01-871549-lannee-de-laubergine.php