Eggplant

In Southeast Asia, people grow and eat a wide variety of eggplants, from long green or pale violet or dark purple to round ones that may be white or white with pale green or bright yellow. All are varieties of Solanum melongena, a plant native to India that has been cultivated in Asia for millennia. Newcomers to the region find it hard to believe that eggplants can come in such different guises. In North America, a wider variety of eggplants is now available, especially in Southeast Asian grocery stores. In general, the long Asian eggplants are less bitter than the large round purple Mediterranean varieties; they are never presalted to draw out bitterness.