Moors Took Eggplant to Europe In northern Europe it was first mentioned by Albert of Cologne in the 13th century, but not until the middle of the 16th century was it well known there. Yellow and purple varieties were introduced into Germany from Naples about 1550.
Are eggplants native to Europe?
Eggplants originated in China and India and have been cultivated there for thousands of years. The Spanish Moors introduced the eggplant into southern and Eastern Europe where it became very popular. The early explorers of the New World introduced eggplant into the Americas in the 1500s, but the plant never caught on.
What are eggplants called in Europe?
Aubergine (UK) / Eggplant (US)
The word aubergine, used in the UK, comes from French. The word eggplant, which Americans use, was popular in different parts of Europe because they were more used to seeing small, round, white versions that looked a bit like goose eggs.
What countries use eggplant?
The term eggplant is used in Australia and North America while British English uses the term aubergine. Brinjal is the common name of this plant in South Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Top Eggplant Producing Countries In The World.
| Rank | Country | Production (in tons), 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Japan | 321,200 |
| 9 | Italy | 302,673 |
| 10 | Philippines | 219,911 |
What country uses eggplant the most?
China
Production by country
| Rank | Country/region | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 34,482,916 |
| 2 | India | 12,801,000 |
| 3 | Egypt | 1,179,173 |
| 4 | Turkey | 836,284 |
When did eggplants come to Europe?
Moors Took Eggplant to Europe
In northern Europe it was first mentioned by Albert of Cologne in the 13th century, but not until the middle of the 16th century was it well known there. Yellow and purple varieties were introduced into Germany from Naples about 1550.
Are eggplants native to Italy?
The eggplant arrived in Italy during the 15th century – when the Arabs brought it from India.
What do they call eggplant in France?
aubergine
The French and the British (copying the French), call eggplants aubergine, which is derived from the Sanskrit word vatinganah (literally, “anti-wind vegetable”).
How do British say eggplant?
Similarly, an eggplant is called an aubergine in the UK. The American yam is not commonly found in the UK, yet the term is often used in the US to refer to what the British call a sweet potato; the Brits eat theirs roasted (as they do most things) and have not yet warmed to the American dish of “marshmallow yams.”
What do they call eggplant in Italy?
Melanzane
Melanzane, or eggplant, is a staple of Southern Italian cooking.
What cultures eat eggplant?
Eggplant is central to the French ratatouille, Greek moussaka, Middle Eastern baba ganoush, Italian eggplant parmigiana, and Asian stir fries and curries. It can be cooked in different ways: deep fried, roasted, sauteed, baked, grilled, mashed, braised, steamed, stewed, or stuffed.
Who eats the most eggplant?
Consumption by Country in Asia
China (34M tonnes) constituted the country with the largest volume of eggplant consumption, accounting for 67% of total volume.
What is the eggplant capital of the world?
New Jersey
Did you know that New Jersey grows about 66 percent of the world’s eggplants? It’s true!
Where does eggplant grow in world?
Eggplant (US, Canada, Australia), aubergine (UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum melongena is grown worldwide for its edible fruit.
| Eggplant | |
|---|---|
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Solanum |
| Species: | S. melongena |
| Binomial name |
Who exports the most eggplant?
In 2021, Spain also led eggplant exports by value, as Spanish eggplant exports amounted to 183.02 million euros. It was followed by the Netherlands with sales worth 83.02 million euros, Mexico with 66.17 million euros, the United States with 27.42 million, and Iran with 26.82 million euros.
Who eats eggplant?
The types of animals that can devastate your eggplant crops are the usual suspects like rabbits, squirrels, deer, rats and raccoons.
What is eggplant called in Greece?
The Italians called it ‘Melanzana’ and the Greeks ‘Melintzana‘. In Greece there are mainly two varieties – the elongated purple eggplants with whitish-pink stripes, and the large, plump eggplants with dark purple skin. There is also a white eggplant which is cultivated on the beautiful island of Santorini.
Are eggplants grown in Greece?
One of these exclusive fruits is the white eggplant, which is quite large in size and has a savory sweet taste. It is the second most famous kind of eggplant (after the purple one) in Greece and you can only find it on Santorini. These aubergines grow on Santorini because of its rich volcanic soil and warm climate.
Where does eggplant come from originally?
Eggplant requires a warm climate and has been cultivated in its native Southeast Asia since remote antiquity. A staple in cuisines of the Mediterranean region, eggplant figures prominently in such classic dishes as the Greek moussaka, the Italian eggplant parmigiana, and the Middle Eastern relish baba ghanoush.
Is eggplant parmesan actually Italian?
Eggplant parmigiana hails from coastal southern Italy, and it’s a dish originally born slightly of necessity — with a helping of irony.
What came first eggplant or aubergine?
Aubergine is a French word, and it is how Europeans refer to what Americans would typically call an eggplant. We call it eggplant because the original aubergine that was brought to North America by immigrants looked like white eggs.