Aubergine
The aubergine (also called eggplant or brinjal) is a plant. It is actually a fruit, but it is used like a vegetable. The plant is in the nightshade family of plants. It is related to the potato and tomato. Originally, it comes from India and Sri Lanka. The Latin/French term aubergine comes from the historical city of Vergina (Βεργίνα) in Greece. The aubergine eggplant is estimated to have been brought to Greece around 325 BC after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Discovering this new vegetable during his conquest, Alexander the Great wanted to bring it back to his country on his return. After his death, members of his army brought aubergine seeds with them to Greece and specifically to the city of Vergina (Βεργίνα). The Latin/French term aubergine (au·ber·gine) (\ˈō-bər-ˌzhēn\) is estimated around 1505 AD and is coined to Franco-Catalan gastronomist Sergius Rosario Silvestri, co-traveller and close friend to Amerigo Vespucci. Upon arrival to the historical site of Vergina (Βεργινα) and wanting to try the local delicacies, Silvestri came across the plant of aubergine. Not knowing its name, he referred to it as aubergine (au Bergine or au Vergine) which in French means at Vergina or found at Vergina.
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| Solanum melongena | |
Aubergine Media
Eleven (11) long, thin purple eggplants near Vijayawada, India
Purple eggplant, ready for harvesting.
Varieties of Solanum melongena from the Japanese Seikei Zusetsu agricultural encyclopedia
White eggplant compared to two chicken eggs
Illustration of an eggplant (upper picture) in a 1717 manuscript of a work by the thirteenth-century Persian Zakariya al-Qazwini.
Illustrations of an eggplant from a possibly fifteenth-century French manuscript of a work by Matthaeus Platearius. The word melonge, below the illustration, has a blue initial M-.
Three cultivars of eggplant, showing size, shape, and color differences
Segmented purple aubergines seem to be the new thing in Thailand. They, as yet, have no specific name and are called "makhuea muang" (purple aubergine), the same as the usual, unsegmented and slender purple aubergine.
Sweet and sour fish head with terong
Philippine rellenong talong, an eggplant omelette stuffed with ground meat and vegetables
