EAGER FOR EGGPLANTS

With their glossy purple skin and spongy beige flesh, eggplants seem to be a love-it-or-hate-it vegetable. But if you’re not a fan, I’d venture you just haven’t found the right way to cook them yet. In New Zealand, eggplants come into their prime in autumn – it’s the perfect time to try your hand at a new recipe and find your favourite way to enjoy eggplants.

Originally from India, eggplants have become a staple for many cultures, with each region growing its own preferred variety. There are the deep purple ones favoured in the Mediterranean; the long, skinny, light-purple eggplants found in China; and the green golf-ball sized variety common in Southeast Asia. But while their colour, shape and size all vary, all eggplants provide plenty of nutrition.

The eggplant’s peel is chockful of antioxidants, while the seeds within are a great source of fibre. The vegetable has a high water content, which promotes healthy digestion, and the average eggplant only contains around 150 calories. They are also a rich source of vitamins and minerals, including manganese, potassium, folate and vitamins C and K. But perhaps their biggest contribution to health is their status as a meat substitute.

Eggplants have the rare ability to give you a flavourful and hearty meal without any meat, making it a favourite among vegans, vegetarians and those simply trying to eat more plant-based meals and consume less meat. Their talent for promoting plant-based eating comes from their firm texture and spongy flesh.

Past the shiny skin, eggplants have a uniquely absorbent interior that soaks up the flavour of its accompanying ingredients like a sponge. They’re naturally mild in flavour but can absorb and carry the flavour of neighbouring ingredients, whether it’s soy sauce or tahini, garlic or herbs. Plus, eggplants have a dense texture which mimics the mouthfeel of meat, giving you a hearty and filling plant-based meal. By carrying flavours while retaining some bite, the absence of meat will go unnoticed.

The eggplant’s versatility has been appreciated around the world for centuries, and each country has its own distinct way of turning the vegetable into culinary magic. In France, they are known as aubergines, and they play an integral role in ratatouille. In Italy, eggplants are fried and layered with tomato sauce, basil and cheese in the ever-popular eggplant parmigiana. Meanwhile, while Greece and Turkey have different versions of moussaka, eggplant is an essential ingredient in both.

Then there’s baba ghanoush, the deliciously creamy eggplant dip served with pita across the Middle East, and garden egg stew, a much-loved Nigerian dish featuring eggplants. Eggplants are found in Thai curries, Chinese stir-fries and Indian chutneys. And this is by no means an exhaustive list – it’s just a few of the many ways eggplants get baked and blended, sautéed and pickled around the world.

The next time you see eggplants at your farmer’s market or greengrocer, give it a go – even if you’re not yet converted, there’s a recipe out there that will make you fall in love with eggplants!

Rachel Hart

Hailing from Canada, Rachel has fallen in love with life in the beautiful Bay of Plenty where she is a freelance writer with a passion for healthy food. She splits her time between telling people’s stories, creating web content and experimenting in the kitchen.