The glossy, purple, teardrop-shaped eggplant may be the only one you know, but this versatile vegetable comes in a variety of colors and shapes. Dig a little deeper at your local farmers market and you’re likely to find oval, long and slim, and melon-shaped eggplants with white, green, pink, orange, and even striped skin.
When you cut one open, you’ll find meaty white flesh, maybe with a hint of green or yellow, dotted with small clusters of beige seeds. If the inside is brown, the eggplant might have gone bad.
The eggplant is a nightshade vegetable, like potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. It originally comes from India and Asia, where it still grows wild. Eggplants made their way to Europe with the Islamic empire in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Historians believe the British coined the term eggplant during their occupation of India. Aubergine and brinjal are other names for it.
Eggplant has a rich, meaty inside that takes on a creamy consistency when you cook it. The hearty texture makes it a good stand-in for meat.
The eggplant has been an ingredient in traditional medicine for thousands of years. In the ancient Indian system of ayurvedic medicine, practitioners used white eggplant to treat diabetes and the roots to relieve asthma.
While eggplant isn’t the most nutritious vegetable, it does give you a decent supply of potassium and fiber. And at just 25 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per serving, it’s a pretty guilt-free food — as long as you don’t soak it in oil.
Eggplant has antioxidants like vitamins A and C, which help protect your cells against damage. It’s also high in natural plant chemicals called polyphenols, which may help cells do a better job of processing sugar if you have diabetes.
Early lab studies in cells suggest that eggplant protects against the type of DNA damage that leads to cancer. But researchers still need to confirm this benefit in humans.
Eggplant and other nightshade vegetables have the chemical solanine, which some people claim adds to inflammation and makes diseases like arthritis worse. There’s no solid evidence that the small amount of solanine in eggplant worsens arthritis symptoms. But if you notice that your joint pain flares up after you eat eggplant, avoid it.
Rarely, people are allergic to eggplant. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include a rash, swelling of the face, itching, hives, and a hoarse voice.