submitted by Eileen Johnson, RN

 

 

Eggplant has a very long history of consumption that dates back possibly to early man, with Chinese agricultural records describing it from the 5^th century CE. It made the European scene during the 8^th century and the Italians picked it up while trading with the Arabs during the 13^th century. Thomas Jefferson was known to grow it in his garden and it was a favorite delicacy of President Andrew Johnson.

There are many varieties, including the Japanese version that is long and slender, but the Western, or globe eggplant, is the variety we are most familiar with. This variety is easy to stuff, sauté, grill or bake.

 

Cooked very differently in each country it touches it is interesting to explore each method of preparation:

• Baingan Bharta is an Indian curry prepared by roasting the flesh of the vegetable and cooking it with tomatoes and spices
• Europeans will scoop out the flesh, then mash with butter and salt
• In Turkey, cubes of eggplant are placed on skewers of shish kebab
• Italians make it into a parmigiano
• France creates ratatouille
• Chinese prepare it Szechuan style
• Middle Eastern countries make a fabulous sauce called Baba Ghanoush
• The Greeks place it in Moussaka, a tasty dish with eggplant and lamb
• Americans like to dip chunks into a batter and deep fry as a Tempura

Medicinally, eggplant has most often been used to treat uterine tumors, and some forms of bleeding and diarrhea. Low in cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium, it is also a great source of manganese, Vitamins B6 and C, Thiamine, Vitamin K and fiber. Because eggplant is part of the nightshade family, some people, especially those with arthritic conditions or migraines, avoid its consumption.

 

Here are some cooking tips and ideas:

• Most people peel eggplant before cooking as it may make it less bitter tasting, although leaving the peel on increases it fiber content a great deal.
• Handle eggplant carefully as it bruises easily
• Eggplant tends to absorb a lot of cooking oil, so you may want to use some water to pre-cook.
• Salting may help decrease its bitterness but be moderate.
• Oven roast thick slices on lightly oiled cookie sheet at 450 degrees
• Bake easily by pricking the skin and placing it in a 350 degree oven
• Sauté cubes of peeled eggplant in olive oil after blanching quickly in water
• Broil or grill after brushing thick slices with olive oil. 5 minutes per side is usually enough
• Dip in a breading mixture and sauté in olive oil

 

ENJOY!

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Healthy Updates Newsletter, Natural Answers-Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.