? Eggplant
white eggplant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Tracheobionta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Asteridae Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum Species: S. esculentum
Binomial name
Solanum esculentum Drege ex Dun.

An eggplant, brinjal or aubergine is either of two species of nightshade, Solanum melongena and S. esculentum, bearing large pendulous purple or white fruit. The raw fruit has a spongelike texture and somewhat disagreeable taste, but on cooking becomes tender and develops a rich, complex flavor. It is especially useful culinarily owing to its ability to absorb great amounts of cooking fats, making possible extraordinarily rich dishes. White eggplant on market stall, taken by C. Ford in Brixton market, March 2004. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Asteridae is a botanical subclass of flowering plants in class Dicotyledon or Magnoliopsida. ... Families at least the following: Solanaceae Convolvulaceae and others, varying between classification systems; for details see text The Solanales are an order of flowering plants, included in the asterid group of dicotyledons. ... Genera Acnistus Atropa (deadly nightshade) Brugmansia (angels trumpet) Calibrachoa Capsicum (chile peppers) Datura (jimsonweed) Hyoscyamus (henbane) Iochroma Lycium (boxthorn) Lycopersicon (tomato) Mandragora (mandrake) Nicandra Nicotiana (tobacco) Petunia Physalis (tomatillo) Solandra Solanum (potato, eggplant) Streptosolen For more genera see Solanaceae in The Families of Flowering Plants Wikispecies has information on... Species See text Solanum is a genus of annuals, perennials, sub-shrubs, shrubs and climbers. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Species See text Solanum is a genus of annuals, perennials, sub-shrubs, shrubs and climbers. ... Species See text Solanum is a genus of annuals, perennials, sub-shrubs, shrubs and climbers. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ... This article is about the animal. ... Texture is the properties held and sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch. ...

Eggplant

The variety that closely resembles a chicken egg in both size and shape is commonly known today as the Indian eggplant. The varieties cultivated in Europe and North America today are of similar shape but both larger and darker. A Chinese eggplant is shaped like a cucumber. Both Indian and Chinese eggplants usually have a color gradient, from white at the stem to bright purple to deep purple, but albino varieties also exist. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west... Binomial name Cucumis sativus L. Ref: ITIS 22364 The cucumber is the edible fruit of the cucumber plant Cucumis sativus, which belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, as do melons and squash. ...

Although aubergine is the (British) English name given to this fruit, it is often invoked to describe other objects with a dark plum-color. This name comes from the French aubergine, derived from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic al-bAdhinjAn, from Persian بادنجان Bâdinjân, the eggplant. Catalan (Català, Valencià) is a Romance language understood by as many as 12 million people in portions of Spain, France, Andorra and Italy, although the majority of active Catalan speakers are in Spain. ... Persian (فارسی / پارسی), (local name in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan: ‘Fârsi’), ‘Pârsi’ (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (another local name in Tajikistan and Afghanistan), is a language spoken in Iran (Persia), Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, western Pakistan, Bahrain, and elsewhere. ...

The word melongena is from the Sanskrit vatinganah, which has produced a number of names for this plant in various languages: brinjal, badingan, melongena, melenzana, berenjena, albergínia, aubergine, brown-jolly, and mad-apple (misinterpretation of Italian melanzana as mela insana). The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ...

Purple eggplants

The flowers of the Thai eggplant

The fruit of the Thai eggplant. The white residue on the leaves is common.

Aubergines from http://www. ... Aubergines from http://www. ... Flowers of the Thai eggplant taken by user:KayEss File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Flowers of the Thai eggplant taken by user:KayEss File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Thai Eggplant Thai Eggplant (Thai: มะเขือ ma keua) is a vegatable used primarily in Thai cooking. ... Download high resolution version (482x640, 61 KB)Fruit of the Thai egglplant taken by user:KayEss File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (482x640, 61 KB)Fruit of the Thai egglplant taken by user:KayEss File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

See also

• Baba ganoush
• Caviar d'aubergine (French Provencal Cuisine)
• Escalivada (Catalan cuisine)
• Moussaka (Greek cuisine)
• Mutabal (Lebanese cuisine)
• Thai eggplant

Baba ganoush is a very popular Middle Eastern dish, made mainly from eggplant and sesame paste, called tahini. ... Escalivada is a typical preparation of Catalan cuisine that consists of several types of grilled vegetables like eggplants (genus Solanum), sweet red peppers (genus Capsicum), red tomatoes, and sweet onions. ... Catalan cuisine is based on the ingredients of the Mediterranean area: fresh vegetables (especially tomato, garlic, aubergine, red pepper, and artichoke), wheat products (bread, pasta), olive oils, wines, legumes (beans, chick peas), all sorts of pork preparations (sausages, ham), all sorts of cheese, poultry, lamb, and many types of fish... Moussaka (Greek: moussakas; Romanian: musaca; Turkish: musakka; Serbian: musaka; Egyptian Arabic: musaqqa`a, Bulgarian мусака) is a traditional dish of Greece, the Balkans, and the Middle East consisting of layers of ground (minced) lamb, sliced eggplant (UK aubergine), and tomato, topped with a white sauce and baked. ... Greek cuisine is the cuisine deriving from Greece mainland and its associated islands. ... Thai Eggplant Thai Eggplant (Thai: มะเขือ ma keua) is a vegatable used primarily in Thai cooking. ...

External links

Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject:

Eggplant

• Courgettes, Gourds & AuberginesA history from a Spanish perspective
• Eggplant for the home gardener
• Eggplant: Plants for a Future database
• Eggplantseeds.com - solely about eggplant (commercial site)