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A slightly sweet, tender fruit covered with a shiny skin that ranges in color from purple, which is the most familiar, to red, yellow, green, or white, depending on the variety. Since this food is a member of the nightshade family, which includes the potato and tomato, it is classified as a fruit. Italian eggplant, referred to as "melanzane" are similar in shape to the American varieties, but smaller and thinner in size. Somewhat sweeter and more delicate in flavor, the main varieties of Italian eggplants are the elongated dark purplish-black eggplant (similar to the American eggplant), the Bianca Oval (a white oval shaped fruit), and the Italian heirloom known as the Rosa Bianca. The most common purple Italian eggplant, referred to simply as "Italian" eggplant, has the pear shape with a dark purple skin covering a white meaty inner flesh. The Bianca Oval and the Rosa Bianca are round to oval in shape with a thin white outer skins that have a light purple shading. The meat of the eggplants is creamy textured and provides a mildly sweet flavor when cooked.
An eggplant requires a long, warm growing season, so it is most plentiful in late summer to fall. Eggplant is excellent when stuffed with a variety of ingredients, sautéed, broiled, baked, grilled, or slowly cooked in meat, rice, or cheese dishes and stews. Eggplant can also be substituted for pasta in lasagna dishes. When selecting this fruit, choose those that have a shiny tight skin, making sure they are not dull colored or lightweight with rust spots. For the best flavor, refrigerate eggplant unwashed in a plastic bag for no more than a week. An eggplant may also be referred to as aubergine (French), berenjena, brinjal, Guinea squash, garden egg (bitter ball), melongene, or melanzane.
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Italian Purple Eggplant | | 
Rosa Bianca - Italian Heirloom |
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Italian Eggplant term - Related Content |
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| Translated, a Torta means tart in Italian, which describes a small tart-like food that may be baked or made with cold, refrigerated ingredients that do not require baking. Often, ... |
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| A name given to an Italian soup that is often served for holidays or events, but is not actually a soup served specifically for weddings. Although Italian Wedding Soup may be ... |
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| A type of rye bread of Italian origin that is not as heavy as its northern and eastern European counterparts due to the smaller proportion of rye flour used in relation to the ... |
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| A brittle, cracker-like Italian flat bread made with white flour that is rolled into very thin sheets. It is formed into rounds or rectangles and is often served with olive oil as ... |
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| A medium-grain variety of rice from Italy that is characterized by its black, charcoal, and rust colored grains. When cooked, the rice has a distinctive nutty flavor, a slightly ... |
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Eggplant can be cooked using several methods, such as frying, stir-frying, grilling, broiling, baking, and roasting. When cooking eggplant be sure to cook it thoroughly. ... |
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Eggplants
A slightly sweet, tender fruit covered with a shiny skin that ranges in color from dark purple, which is the most familiar, to red, yellow, ... |
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Learning how to cut an eggplant is easy to do. Besides peeling, slicing or cutting the eggplant into chunks to prepare for cooking, some varieties should have some of the ... |
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| An Italian after-dinner drink (often called a digestive) that is common between dinner and dessert courses to help aid in digestion. Beyond its medical properties, it is also a delicious, fun, easy, and refreshing way to finish off any nice meal! |
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| Italian bacon wrapped chicken breasts. |
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| Tasty eggplant treat that will even have the kids begging for more. |
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| Easy salad to throw together in a pinch. |
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