Sweet, tender, flavorful and creamy, Fairy Tale are simply the best eggplants we’ve ever tasted,” says Taylor. This quick-cooking variety is so delicious that it doesn’t even need to be salted.
What type of eggplant is best?
Best Types of Eggplants
- Little Green Eggplant. This one is round, plump, and pale-green in color.
- Globe Eggplant.
- Italian Eggplant.
- 4. Japanese Eggplant.
- Ping Tung Eggplant.
- Rosa Bianca Eggplant.
- Graffiti Eggplant.
- Santana Eggplant.
Which eggplant is the sweetest?
And their colors range from white to stripy purple or from deep purple to green. The shinier eggplants are, the fresher they are. The fresher and younger they are, the sweeter they are.
What type of eggplant that is not bitter?
Chinese Eggplant
The Chinese variety contains fewer seeds than globe eggplants, and are therefore less bitter.
What’s the difference between Italian eggplant and regular eggplant?
Italian Eggplant
Not to be confused with its doppelganger the globe eggplant, the Italian eggplant has a similar color and shape, but is slightly smaller and sweeter. Plus, it has a more tender flesh than it’s meatier American counterpart.
When should you not eat eggplant?
If there are any brown or dark spots in the flesh, it’s best to toss the vegetable—however, there’s one exception to this rule. Eggplant is susceptible to enzymatic browning, when fruits and veggies begin to brown after being exposed to oxygen (think: an apple or avocado that turns brown).
What should I look for when buying eggplant?
5 Things to Look for When Buying Eggplant at the Grocery Store
- It’s heavy for its size.
- The skin is vivid, smooth, and shiny.
- The stem is green.
- It feels slightly firm.
- Choose small- to medium-sized to avoid bitterness.
Why do you have to soak eggplant in water?
Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out its bitterness. Brining can be used instead and has the added advantage of helping the eggplant keep its shape when it’s cooked, whether your recipe calls for baking, frying, or grilling.
How do you get the bitterness out of eggplant?
If you are worried that the eggplant might be bitter, slice or cube it, then salt it liberally and allow it to drain for an hour or so before cooking. Putting salt on the eggplant triggers osmosis, which draws out excess moisture and the bitterness along with it.
What is the difference between Japanese and Italian eggplant?
The smaller version of the larger purple skinned eggplant is often called Italian or baby eggplant. These have a somewhat more intense flavor and the flesh is much more tender. The straight thin eggplants known as Japanese or Asian eggplant have thin delicate skins like Italian eggplant but the flesh is sweeter.
Does soaking eggplant remove bitterness?
Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.
Should you soak eggplant in salt water before cooking?
I tend to soak the slices in a bowl of water with a couple of tablespoon of salt for about 30-45 minutes. It doesn’t have to do with bitterness, but I find that in doing this, the fried eggplant turns out less greasy,” Jenkins says.
Why do my eggplants taste bitter?
The flesh can be bitter too because of the anthocyanin compound found in the flesh of the eggplants. The older the eggplants, the more it accumulates this compound causing them to be bitter. Older eggplants also have larger and mature seeds which can be the cause of its bitterness.
Why do Italians eat eggplant?
Eggplant has long been a classic ingredient in Italian cuisine. Originally introduced by Arabs traveling to Sicily, Italian farmers embraced eggplants making them a symbolic vegetable of the culture.
Do all eggplants taste the same?
Some are sweeter than others, or more bitter. You’ll find greener varieties, as well as white. There are varieties with a lot of stripes while others are completely solid in color. The flavor is generally consistent, but there is more range than most people realize.
What is the most common eggplant?
Globe eggplant.
The most common eggplant variety in the US is the globe eggplant: this hefty variety has glossy, deep-purple skin and spongy fruit with many seeds. When cooked, globe eggplants can take on a meaty, savory flavor, and their thick skin makes them ideal for charring over open flames. 4.
What does eating eggplant do to your body?
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.
Who should not eat eggplants?
The bottom line, if the level of inflammation in the body is low, one can enjoy eggplant and nightshades in moderation. But if you suffer from any chronic inflammatory conditions you might consider limiting your consumption of eggplant until the causes of inflammation resolved.
What season is eggplant the best?
Eggplants are in peak season from July through October.
Are Smaller eggplants better?
Choose small eggplant for best flavor
According to SFGATE, selecting small, smooth, shiny eggplants ensures the flesh will be tender and sweet. As eggplant matures, the fruit becomes bitter, light in weight, and the skin becomes dull, wrinkled, and uneven in color.
Is it right to pull the eggplant from the stem to pick it?
Cut eggplant fruits from the plant with a garden pruner or sharp knife. Leave one inch of green stem attached to the fruit. Eggplants are very difficult to pull away from the plant by hand; doing so can damage the plant.