What does eggplant taste like?

What does eggplant taste like? Let's examine some basic facts about eggplants, such as shape, size, color, texture, taste, cooking techniques, and some healthy eggplant recipes.

Eggplant is a spongy vegetable known by many names, such as aubergine and brinjal. Here, we will see what eggplant tastes like in real life and how to cook it to make it delicious.

This is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. However, these are not so popular vegetables in many parts of the world because of their bland taste. This is not a much-loved food, though. It has many other names, such as aubergine, brinjals, etc.

Eggplant - Facts

Before learning what an eggplant tastes like, let's see a few common and basic facts about eggplant.

Though eggplant is considered a vegetable, it is a seeded fruit of the plant, just like tomatoes. Eggplants belong to the nightshade family and thrive in hot climate places or in summer. It belongs to the same family (nightshade family) of tomatoes, zucchini, okra.

It grows in a variety of sizes and colors, ranging from small globe-sized to large oblong or oval-shaped ones. They also resemble a droplet with a crown on top. The large eggplants can be up to 12 - 14 inches long.

The color of the eggplant varies from white to light purple to dark purple, and some are also light green. Some eggplants are striped multicolored with white, light, or dark purple. The body is spongy and almost 90% watery.

It has been in Asian countries for thousands of years. This is very popular in Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Greek cuisines.

How to pick the best eggplants?

When buying eggplants in season, make sure they are firm and without soft spots. Checking how heavy they feel is a good indicator of freshness.

If they feel too light for their weight, they might not be the best choice. Also, look for firm and shiny skin without any wrinkles.

How to store the eggplants?

Eggplants are not storage-friendly vegetables, so it is essential to store them properly. Here's how they should be kept.

The storage conditions of eggplants depend on their size and degree of ripeness. The best storage temperature is around 52 degrees Fahrenheit or 11 degrees Celsius.

The storage life of raw eggplant can be extended to seven days if it is kept dry, cool, and away from strong odors. When refrigerated in a storage container or plastic bag at low temperatures, it should remain fresh for about a week.

Never store eggplants with other fruits and vegetables because ethylene - a ripening gas emitted by fruits will shorten their storage life.

What does eggplant taste like?

If I had to describe the taste of an eggplant, I would say it tastes bland and flavorless when raw and uncooked. This is spongy and smooth but seedy in texture. The spongy flesh-like pulp contains approximately 92% water. If you take a bite of this vegetable, it's, in fact, without any taste, just like zucchini. Undoubtedly, both belong to the same family, which is probably why they have some similar features.

However, the small ones with many seeds are somewhat bitter. So, for many, the taste of eggplant is bitter, too. Sometimes, when we don't cook it uniformly, some parts remain bitter and chewy too.

To remove the bitterness, rub a little salt on it and let it sit for some time. Then wash it off with fresh water. This Salting process will help get rid of bitterness. It absorbs the flavor of the spices, sauces, and ingredients used in cooking.

However, ages ago, eggplants were much more bitter than modern-day eggplants. But with technology and improved cropping techniques, modern-day eggplants are mild to no bitter in taste. Salting doesn't make any remarkable changes in them. But while we stir-fry the eggplant, salting helps remove excess moisture because of osmosis.

Nutrition and Health Benefits of Eggplant

Eggplant is a nutrition-dense vegetable filled with fiber, protein, essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This is also a low-carb and low-calorie vegetable. Hence, this is one of the vegetables most recommended for the keto diet.

This is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6, along with magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, folic acid, phosphorus, thiamin, and niacin.

This is a low-carb vegetable. If you are on a keto diet or any low-carb diet, replace the high-carb vegetables with eggplants. Combine this low-carb vegetable with high-fat foods for a complete keto diet menu.

Since eggplants are high in fiber and low in calories, they are best known for supporting healthy weight loss (even for a non-keto diet). You can replace high-carb vegetables with these eggplants for your weight loss recipes.

In addition, eggplant is a good source of fiber. Fiber is essential for good gut health and digestive systems. Along with gut health, the fiber present absorbs cholesterol and excretes excess fat. It keeps the intestine clean. So eggplant keeps the heart healthy as well.

Eggplants contain polyphenols that reduce the enzymes that influence sugar absorption. This helps in lowering blood sugar levels.

Eggplant is also rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants protect our bodies from free radicals and the damage caused by free radicals. They also help prevent many chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.

How does eggplant keep us healthy?

High fiber, low calorie—This is high in protein and fiber. Fiber keeps the digestive system healthy and helps with proper bowel movement. Since it is low in carbohydrates, it is highly beneficial for any weight loss diet, including the keto diet.

Helps in digestion—High fiber keeps the intestine clean and excretes excessive fat, which is beneficial for gastrointestinal health and keeps the digestive system healthy.

Prevents anemia - Eggplants help produce healthy red blood cells because of high iron and copper. Healthy blood cells avoid such diseases as anemia.

Keeps energetic—The High iron in eggplants increases healthy blood cells. These cells carry oxygen throughout our body and improve blood circulation. Hence, blood circulation makes the body and mind more active and energetic.

Prevents osteoporosis - High calcium and iron help keep bone strong. It prevents osteoporosis in bones.

Helps to reduce blood sugar—This vegetable has many Ayurvedic medicinal properties for diabetic patients. Polyphenols help to reduce blood sugar levels.

Keeps Heart Healthy - It keeps our heart healthy by excreting excess fat from the body. Minerals like magnesium, manganese, and potassium also keep the heart healthy.

Helps in a Healthy Pregnancy - High iron and folate levels prevent birth defects in the fetus and provide the daily iron requirement.

It increases brain capability and function - The phytonutrients present in eggplant boost memory by providing more blood to the brain, stimulating neural pathways. It improves cognitive ability.

Side Effects of Eggplant

Eggplant contains cholinesterase, the anti-inflammatory substance that causes inflammation. Though it's rare, lately, some people have become allergic to eggplants. People with high pre-existing inflammation will develop allergic reactions to this vegetable.

The symptoms include major hives and itchy skin with rashes. Even the tongue, lips, and throat get itchy and tingling just after ingesting. Some more severe reaction symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrheas', and vomiting.

These go off automatically or with mild medication. But if any serious symptom appears, one must seek medical attention immediately. I developed these allergies at a point in time and but generally, I'm not allergic to any vegetables.

(These are for information only and not any kind of medical advice. Please refer to the medical specialist for personalized information and sickness related to the vegetable.)

How to cook eggplant to taste good?

Let's start with the chopping part. When we chop and keep the loose pieces for longer, it quickly oxidizes. And it turns brownish to blackish. So immerse the cut pieces of eggplant into the water as soon as they are cut to stop discoloration.

Eggplant discolors because of a few factors, i.e. pH of water, the material used for cooking and chopping, and exposure to oxygen. High pH reacts quickly resulting in discoloration. In order to reduce the pH, add lemon or vinegar while cooking. The acidic nature helps reduce the pH level.

Also rubbing some salt on slices helps stop this oxidation and also it removes the bitterness of the eggplant and tastes better.

Eggplants are naturally spongy and have 90% water in them. So when we overcook the eggplant, it becomes mushy since this is spongy and soft fleshy in texture when raw. So for stir-fry dishes, try to avoid adding extra water as the eggplant releases its own water and cook on medium to high flame.

A combination of spices and generously added fat enhances the taste of this vegetable. The only caution you need to take is to cook this evenly and perfectly. Also while frying, and sauteing the eggplant, it tends to soak more oil (because of its spongy texture probably). Brushing it with salt prior to cooking stops excess oil absorption.

Some easy delicious tasting eggplant recipes

There are many ways you can cook eggplant to taste better. Since this has a smooth and fleshy texture, this is also used as a meat substitute for many recipes. This is also one of the best high-carb food substitutes. Hence this is best recommended for the keto diet.

There are so many ways you can cook eggplant to taste great. You can bake the eggplants, roast them in the oven or have a smoky flavor by fire-roasting them. Make it some low-carb alternative for high-carb food, eg. Make eggplant fries, eggplant pizza bites, eggplant burgers, etc. This vegetable blends well with almost all types of cuisines like Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mediterranean, Lebanese, and many more.

Read my vegan eggplant recipes for more recipe ideas.

Stir-fried eggplants with potatoes -

This is a simple yet delicious eggplant dish. Nicely sautéed with potatoes, and flavorful spices, this stir-fried eggplant recipe is just too good. This goes well with any flatbreads, or even with rice.

Eggplant Meatballs -

Vegan eggplant meatballs are a delicious alternative to meat. Make these as appetizers or dip in marinara sauce and serve them with your pasta. Coat the meatless meatballs with spicy buffalo sauce and serve as an appetizer at your house parties. These are super delicious. Also, it doesn't require any fancy ingredients.

Mashed Eggplants

Mashed eggplant is a delicious spicy preparation. These fire-roasted eggplants are cooked in flavorful spices. This is a super-simple and quick eggplant recipe that is perfect for vegetarians and vegans too. Even keto-perfect mashed eggplant (without green peas) is perfect for all. This is an Indian delicacy that's best paired with flatbreads.

Baby Eggplant Curry

This eggplant curry is vegan and gluten-free with a nutty, tangy curry base. This is an Indian eggplant curry recipe. Serve this with simple steam rice or even with flatbreads. This baby eggplant curry is too yum to resist.

Stuffed Baby Eggplants

These stuffed baby eggplants are super simple sides. Here the eggplant is partially slit, and the spice blend is stuffed into it before frying. If you have the spice mix ready, making these stuffed eggplants takes only 10 minutes. Otherwise, making this stuffed eggplant from scratch takes up to 30 minutes. This is a great side dish as well.

Eggplant Pizza Bites

Make this low-carb alternative if you are on the keto diet. This is a super easy and quick keto appetizer also.

Some other delicious eggplant recipes include

Also, you can add this super vegetable to any of your mixed vegetable curry or lentil soup. Add roasted/ grilled/ stir-fried eggplants to roast eggplant perfectly. Use these roasted eggplants in your pasta, salad, buddha bowl, or in curry. You can add other spices to add flavors. Some essential eggplant recipes are:

• Baba Ghanoush - Eggplant dip
• Mutabal - Middle Eastern roasted eggplant dip
• Roasted eggplants
• Grilled eggplants
• Stir-fry eggplants
• Chinese eggplant stir-fry
• Eggplant fritters
• Stuffed eggplant rollups
• Eggplant fries

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**Note - This is an informational post and not for any medical advice.

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