Eggplant, Aubergine, Melanzana

Courtesy of scienceline.org

Did you know that there is a difference between a Male and Female eggplant?

No?  Okay good...you'll be interested in reading this then.  This was news to me...And I'd like to share with you a little bit about the differences, and how to tell them apart when shopping at your local market.

Courtesy of plantbasedparadise.com

The female eggplants belly button bottom is like a line (wider and deeper), the male, more of  circle (rounder and shallower).  See photo here for a better idea of what I mean...

Male...Female....

As humans, females have more seeds, same with eggplants....female eggplants, with more seeds also tend to be more bitter than male eggplants....which I won't exactly agree with when it comes to humans, but that's up to interpretation :)

Growing up with a family that always made a strong effort to prepare home-cooked meals, I was no stranger to eggplant at an early age.

In the warm summer months, we barbequed eggplant on the grill....

A little bit of extra virgin OO, some S&P, a hot grill...and you're all set.

Courtesy of clostcooking.com

In the winter, nothing says comfort food like a tray of eggplant parmigiana! Baking or frying your eggplant before layering is completely up to you.  Personally, I prefer baking the eggplant to keep on the lighter side, and the process is a lot simpler, than hovering over a pan of hot oil!

I've also made this tasty eggplant dip for get together's with friends...I found the recipe online, they call it "Poor Man's Caviar" :-)  It tastes better than it looks! 

Poor Man's Caviar Recipe!

Sicilian Caponata is also so very good too, usually served bruschetta style.

Eggplant is an excellent source of fiber and manganese.  

Fiber's benefits include normalizing bowel health, keeping cholesterol levels at bay, controlling blood sugar, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Manganese is needed for digestion and utilization of food and nutrients.  It is often lost and not received in some of the modern diet lifestyles from consumption of over-processed foods.  It plays a role in reproduction and bone growth.  It is sometimes called the 'brain' mineral, as it is important to mental function. (source: www.healthsupplementsnutritionalguide.com)

Pickup an eggplant today, and Health Yourself.