Eat Your Eggplant

My husband is not a picky eater. When he lived in Japan, he routinely ate eel, octopus, and squid, and it should be noted that he usually he ate these delicacies raw. He is a big guy; the kind of guy who would never order the "Petite Fillet" at Longhorn's. His grandmother still fondly recalls her grandson's voracious appetite when he was a child. She remembers that he would literally "eat anything" especially after he picked potatoes for 12 hours in his home town of Presque Isle, Maine. To his credit, he always raved about everything I cooked, even when I turned out biscuits with the texture of hockey pucks, and the flavor of cardboard.

So, imagine my surprise when I learned very early on in our marriage that he detested what happened to be one of my very favorite foods--eggplant. Always up for a challenge, I embarked on a noble quest to force his catharsis. I figured, how hard could this be? To convince a hardy eater about the pleasures of the purple plant, seemed a simple task. Make no mistake, as a newlywed, I took this personally. I didn't just want him to tolerate eggplant, I was determined he'd love the stuff.

Love me, love my eggplant.

I quickly became quite the eggplant chef. I studied recipes, and bought any variety of eggplant I could get my hands on. I had no idea you could prepare eggplant in so many ways. It can be steamed, fried, broiled, grilled, baked, boiled, stewed, and stuffed. Though many different types of eggplant are available, they all possess the same general flavor and texture.

Despite my valiant efforts, he refused to convert. Apparently, the flavor and texture, the part I so loved, were the problem. Oh, he would eat whatever was on his plate (did I mention he is also quite smart?), but after each meal, when prodded, he would confess his continued dislike of eggplant. Back I would go to the kitchen.

After over a decade of trying, even before Dr. Phil came to the forefront, I gave up the eggplant-quest. I still love it, and occasionally my cravings must be met. Even without therapy, I was able to make peace with his disdain for my beloved eggplant. It was a double standard, after all. I never had any intention of eating raw eel, octopus, or squid.

EGGPLANT TRIVIA

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family; cousin to tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers.

Eggplant was probably first cultivated in India, 4000 years ago. It is still extremely popular and plentiful in Mediterranean countries-Greeks, Egyptians, Turks, and many Middle Easterners commonly eat eggplant daily. The Southern Italians love their eggplant parmigiana, and the French love ratatouille (a sort of stew). Eggplant is also wildly popular in India, China, and Thailand.

Eggplant must be harvested before its seeds begin to enlarge and harden. The glossiness is a sign of pre-maturity, and is desirable.

Some experts say to store eggplant in the refrigerator, some say at room temperature. All agree eggplants are highly perishable, and should be eaten soon after purchase.

Though not a nutritious boon, eggplants provide folacin, and potassium, and are very low in fat and calories (unless you deep fry them).

Many recipes call for salting eggplant to extract bitterness, but if the eggplant is fresh, this is really unnecessary.

Adlen Robinson is a free lance food writer and columnist. Feel free to send her an email with your questions at [email protected].

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/2/183233