30 Interesting Facts About Eggplants

Some people confuse eggplants with zucchini, but these are entirely different vegetables, even though they are related. Nutritious, tasty, and healthy, eggplants have rightfully earned a place in many culinary recipes.

Facts About Eggplants:

1. Eggplants come in a variety of colors: white, yellow, striped, purple, and almost black.
2. In the Italian city of Palermo, an Eggplant Olympics is held in the height of summer. The best culinary masters gather to create incredible gastronomic masterpieces from this vegetable using their unique recipes.
3. Eggplants are rich in potassium, which helps remove excess sodium from the body, preventing edema.
4. Many of us have no doubt that eggplants are vegetables. However, it turns out that’s not the case. Botanically, eggplants are classified as berries, though we’re more accustomed to calling them vegetables.
5. Eating eggplant flowers and leaves can lead to severe poisoning. However, in many countries, zucchini flowers are commonly eaten.
6. China was the first country to grow eggplants on an industrial scale as early as the 5th century BC.
7. The fiber in eggplants aids digestion and prevents the development of harmful bacteria in the intestines.
8. Eggplants first appeared in the region of modern-day India, from where they began to spread across the world.
9. If left in a drawer at room temperature, eggplants will shrivel and wrinkle. It’s best to store them in a cool place, preferably in slightly open plastic bags.
10. In some countries, eggplants are eaten raw, as they retain more nutrients in their uncooked state.
11. Eggplants are low in calories, making them a satisfying food that helps prevent weight gain.
12. Eggplants rank among the top 10 fruits with the highest antioxidant content.
13. Ancient Greeks considered eggplants dangerous. They believed that eating too many could cause madness.
14. If eggplants are cooked without soaking them first, they may have a slightly bitter taste.
15. In Azerbaijan, eggplants are commonly called “demiankas.” It’s said that this name is linked to the fact that the first person to bring eggplants to Azerbaijan was named Demyan.
16. When cooking, eggplants significantly reduce in volume due to moisture loss, so this should be taken into account when preparing dishes with them.
17. Eggplants are not only used in cooking but also in cosmetic products, such as toning face masks.
18. Wild eggplants still grow in India and Myanmar.
19. Eggplants can be eaten with or without the skin. However, it is believed that the skin is not digested by our bodies, so it’s better to remove it to reduce the strain on the stomach.
20. The younger the eggplants, the more intense their purple color.
21. Eggplants pair well with spices like basil, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, cumin, coriander, and tarragon.
22. Eggplants are one of the foods that help increase hemoglobin levels in the blood.
23. The most beneficial eggplants are long, narrow ones with almost black skin.
24. In ancient times in China, women polished their teeth with eggplant strips to clean them of plaque.
25. These vegetables are part of national cuisines worldwide, from China to America.
26. Eggplant is a perennial plant, even though many farms grow it only for the first year, plowing under the remaining plants after harvesting.
27. China is the world leader in eggplant production. For example, in 2016, 32 million tons of eggplants were grown there, accounting for 60% of global production.
28. The closest botanical relatives of eggplants are tomatoes and potatoes.
29. Due to their high copper content, eggplants are beneficial for pregnant women and people with anemia.
30. Eggplants became part of European cuisine in the 15th century, but industrial cultivation only began much later, in the 19th century.