In its native region and here as well, the eggplant has many fans among gourmets. If started early, the plant grows to about 50 centimeters tall, displays its beautiful purple blossoms from July onwards, and develops its fruits between August and October. These fruits initially resemble chicken eggs and later take on the dark purple color of ripe eggplants. In the kitchen: The fruits are harvested unripe and dark purple and should not be eaten raw. However, they are excellent fried, baked, or boiled, and are particularly well-suited for soups and curries. In Mediterranean cuisine, it is an ingredient in many famous dishes – such as the French ratatouille, the Italian parmigiana di malzana, or the Greek moussaka.
Natural habitat: Solanum melongena originally comes from India and Bangladesh.
