Eggplant

APPEARANCE: Don’t let differences in shape and color mislead you; all eggplants have a thin, smooth, waxy skin, rounded base, and leathery 5-pointed leaf-cap enclosing the stem end. In its country of origin, the fruit seldom measures more than 2 inches long, is actually egg-shaped, and may be purple, green, yellow, or white. Varieties cultivated in the West are comparatively and typically huge (8 to 10 inches long, 4 to 6 inches in diameter), tear-drop shaped, and purple. Varieties cultivated in the East are more modest in size (5 to 8 inches long, only 1 to 2 inches in diameter), cylindrical in shape, and white, pale green, or purple in color.