How To Cook Eggplant: Recipes, Common Varieties And What To Look For At The Market

Love eggplant, but don’t want to fry it? Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst brings host Robin Young three dishes that use roasted eggplant for maximum flavor.

Eggplant, also called aubergine, garden egg and brinjal, is a member of the nightshade family along with tomatoes and green peppers. Considered a fruit, eggplant is native to India.

When it was first introduced in England, it was thought to be poisonous. But eggplant is now beloved the world over. Its meaty texture means it can be sauteed, roasted, steamed, fried, baked and made into salads, fries, dips, gratins, curries, casseroles and more. It has an affinity for tomatoes, basil, anchovies, mint, ginger and garlic.

Eggplant Pitfalls, And How To Avoid Them

There are two issues with eggplant that plague most cooks: The first is that eggplant can be quite bitter. There are a few ways to deal with this. The first is to know that bitterness develops with age, so you want to try to shop for eggplants at a farmers market where the eggplant will