Varieties of eggplant
There are many varieties of eggplant. In the past, if you went into a typical American grocery store, there was only one variety of eggplant: the globe or American eggplant. These days, most stores have more than one variety and gourmet stores have several varieties. Here are the three main types of eggplant, according to what they are best used for in the kitchen:
- Globe/ American Eggplant This type of eggplant is the most common. It can be used for all different types of eggplant dishes, but is best used for slicing and frying or grilling. It can also be pureed to use in Baba Ganoush. It has smooth dark purple skin and contains seeds. If you can, try to avoid buying large eggplants as they generally have many seeds and can be bitter.
- Chinese or Japanese eggplant This eggplant variety is long and skinny. The Chinese variety has a light purple skin, while the Japanese variety has a darker skin. Both of these varieties are great for sautéing because they have very thin skins and cut up nicely for a stir fry.
- Graffiti eggplant and white eggplant This variety is smaller in size than the globe variety and has multi-colored skins. They can be used for grilling or pureeing as they have thin skins and small seeds.
History of Baba Ganoush
This dish is a middle eastern favorite. Several Eastern Mediterranean countries lay claim to its origin, so there are a few different varieties and ways to make it. Essentially, Baba Ganoush is an eggplant mash or puree that is eaten as an appetizer with fresh veggies and pita bread.
Baba Ganoush Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large Eggplant
- 2 small cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Smoked paprika and olive oil drizzle for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides with olive oil. Place the eggplant cut side down in a baking dish and bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Let cool.
- Place a strainer over a bowl and add the eggplant by scooping it out of the skin. Discard the skin. Allow to drain for a few minutes after pressing down on the flesh in the strainer. Discard liquid and mash the eggplant with a masher or a fork.
- Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and cumin to the eggplant and mix well with a spoon to combine.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top of the mixture when ready to serve. Sprinkle smoked paprika if desired over the top as well. Serve with toasted pita chips or fresh cut vegetables like carrots, peppers, or celery.