Eggplant

Why it's called Eggplant

In the scientific classification, eggplant represents the Solanaceae family and in this sense it can be called a relative of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, tobacco, but, in addition, it is also a “brother” of the poisonous dope and henbane. The culinary fate of this vegetable crop was difficult. As a food product, eggplant became interesting in Europe only in the 19th century. Before this, it was not appreciated and was even considered the cause of some mental disorders.

Over time, thanks to the discovery of a number of useful properties, eggplant became interesting not only to chefs, but also to doctors. Thus, a relatively recent study by American scientists revealed the presence of chlorogenic acid in eggplants – a strong antioxidant that can “heal” cellular damage and reduce the development of a number of diseases. And this is not the only study that reveals the healing properties of the “little blue ones”.

Useful properties of eggplant

Composition and calorie content

Vitamins	mg	Minerals	mg
Vitamin B4	6.9	Potassium, K	229
Vitamin C	2.2	Phosphorus, P	24
Vitamin B3	0.649	Magnesium, Mg	14
Vitamin E	0.3	Calcium, Ca	9
Vitamin B5	0.281	Sodium, Na	2

It should be taken into account that during the processing, the concentration of valuable potassium, which works to ensure the cardiovascular system and remove excess fluid from the body, drops especially noticeably. This makes eating raw (in salads) or stewed eggplant more preferable. During canning, some vitamins and minerals (phosphorus, magnesium) are also lost, but the indicators of other components can either increase or decrease.

Medicinal properties

Eggplant fruits exhibit numerous medicinal properties. Thus, thanks to the abundance of indigestible fiber , which acts like a piston in the digestive system, cholesterol is effectively removed from the body (reduced in the blood by up to 40%, depending on the mode of consumption of the product). This, in turn, prevents the formation of new cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, thereby inhibiting the development of atherosclerosis and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease .

In addition, eating eggplants can:

• prevent the formation of gallstones;
• alleviate the condition of patients with type 2 diabetes ;
• relieve swelling and remove uric acid salts, which is especially important for those suffering from gout ;
• stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, relieving chronic constipation ;
• restore salt and acid-base balance;
• stabilize hemoglobin in anemia .

The presence of vitamin PP (low acid) in eggplants can make it easier for smokers to quit the bad habit.

Recent breeding work has made it possible to develop almost black eggplant hybrids with a very high content of anthocyanins , which are capable of restoring body cells and preventing their damage.

Use in medicine

Currently, the most significant role in the composition of medications is played by the eggplant-derived compound Solasodine Rhamnosyl Glycosides . It is included in the composition of Curaderm cream, which is prescribed as an adjuvant in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer. Medical journals describe the successful experience of using the cream during the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (basal cell skin cancer) in the head and neck area.

Although the beneficial properties of eggplant are still being studied in official scientific medicine, the pharmacological capabilities of a number of elements that make up the vegetable in large quantities are already known. Thanks to them, the following areas of medical development can be considered the most promising.

• Use of chlorogenic acid. Eggplant contains various polyphenols, but chlorogenic acid has 27 times more antioxidant activity than the flavonoid naringenin. This acid has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system by reducing sensitivity to the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins. It can prevent the development of diabetes, tuberculosis and even cancer, exhibiting an antitumor effect. In addition, it is able to provide protection to liver cells and is active in resisting strains of staphylococcus and E. coli. Some forms of acid are active against herpes pathogens .
• Use of potassium salts. Salts help remove fluid from the body, creating a mild diuretic effect, prevent the development of coronary disease and improve the functioning of the entire cardiovascular system.

In folk medicine

Traditional medicine learned to use the healing properties of eggplants faster than official medicine. Various parts of the fruit are used (together or separately).

• Pulp. It is used in various ways for atherosclerosis (as a means of cleansing blood vessels from cholesterol deposits), for edema caused by disturbances in the functioning of the heart, and also as a prevention of gout as an effective way to remove uric acid. Traditional therapy widely uses eggplant to stimulate metabolic processes, bile secretion and peristalsis (wave-like contraction of the intestinal walls to move the contents of the colon to the outlet).
• Peel. Dried and powdered eggplant peel is prescribed for diseases of the oral cavity (as a basis for rinsing) and for high blood pressure. You just need to take into account that in the classic bitter varieties of these vegetables, the largest amount of poisonous solanine is concentrated in the peel, so you should be careful about self-medication in this way.
• Juice. In folk medicine, freshly squeezed eggplant juice is actively used, which, thanks to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, fights eczema , external ulcers and damage to the skin. They also treat wounds to prevent the spread of infection.

Typically, eggplant juice is extracted by first grating the vegetable and then passing the resulting pulp through a press (or simply squeezing the juice by hand). At the same time, to reduce the intensity of oxidative processes, plastic rather than metal graters are used whenever possible. If there are none, you can finely chop the pulp with a ceramic knife, and then squeeze the juice out of this puree.

To normalize heart function and improve the condition of blood vessels (by removing cholesterol formations), drink raw eggplant juice 1-2 teaspoons with meals for 10 days.

Infusions

Traditional healers prepare a choleretic infusion of eggplant as follows:

• A medium-sized vegetable is peeled.
• The pulp is cut into small cubes (about 2x2x2 cm or smaller) and poured with a glass of boiling water.
• Already boiled eggplant is kept for about half an hour in a water bath.
• The resulting mixture is filtered through cheesecloth.

This infusion is taken 100 ml three times a day before meals.

An antiseptic mouthwash is prepared from the peel of the vegetable:

• The peel of the fruit is thinly cut and placed on a paper towel to remove moisture.
• The dried peel is ground into powder.
• The resulting powder is poured with boiling water and allowed to brew until it cools.

The strained liquid is used to rinse the mouth when inflammation and ulcers appear.

In oriental medicine

In Eastern medicine, the attitude towards eggplant is ambiguous. Tibetologist Zhoma Dongzhi, in his book “Unhealthy Nutrition,” states that excessive consumption of eggplants for people with poor health threatens the development of cancer tumors. He also warns patients with tuberculosis against including eggplant in their diet, since it can provoke a hypersensitive reaction against the background of medications for tuberculosis.

According to the author, dishes with eggplant and crab will negatively affect the activity of the intestines and stomach. Those suffering from chronic diarrhea and other digestive problems should not eat them at all, and people with skin diseases should reduce their consumption of this vegetable.

It is known that in traditional Tibetan medicine, recommendations for the use of certain products depend on the constitutional type of a person (there are seven such types in total). And if people of one type are really not advised to eat eggplant, then people of another type can benefit from this vegetable. So, for example, for the “lung trip” type with a predominance of the two vital principles “wind-bile”, a reduction in a number of products in the diet, including eggplant, is really required. And for the “lung” type with a predominance of the “wind” life principle, this vegetable is completely acceptable.

In general, Tibetan medicine uses eggplant for diseases of the Blood and Heat, including intestinal bleeding, ulcerative colitis , and urinary retention. Eggplant is used to treat itchy skin , to heal microdamages in the mammary glands, and even to lower blood pressure.

In Chinese traditional medicine, which classifies foods according to the presence of Yin and Yang principles in them on a scale from “-3” to “+3”, respectively, eggplant occupies the extreme position with a value of “-3”, corresponding to the maximum concentration of the Yin principle. Taking into account the fact that balanced products are considered to be those that are close to neutral zero, eggplant should be used as food with great caution and only with a particularly weak beginning of “Yin”.

In therapy, eggplant, according to Chinese medicinal practice, is able to dampen the heat of the bladder, as well as regulate the fullness of the pericardium (Yang of Fire). In the Eastern tradition, the pericardium includes the adrenal glands, which, by controlling metabolic processes, the circulatory system and water-electrolyte balance, are responsible for the balance of physical (sexual) and spiritual (sensual) satisfaction.

There are also known curious cases that arise in the absence of a critical eye in the application of some recipes of oriental medicine. So, recently a message appeared in the news feed (confirmed by numerous photographs) about a Chinese man who, on the advice of a local healer, used ancient eggplant therapy to cure constipation and abdominal pain. The patient inserted a whole 30 cm long vegetable into himself through his rectum, and he did it with such persistence that he damaged one lung. After such treatment, the eggplant had to be removed surgically.

In scientific research

In recent years, the healing potential of eggplant has interested scientists around the world:

• Chinese researchers extracted anthocyanins and some other derivatives from local varieties of the vegetable to evaluate their effect on human colon cells. As a result of comparing various anthocyanins, scientists came to the conclusion that they all, to a greater or lesser extent, protect DNA from damage and have pronounced antioxidant activity.
• Brazilian scientists experimentally tested the effect of eggplant juice on lipid levels and their state in the plasma, as well as on the juice's ability to remove “bad cholesterol.” In the experiment described, rabbits with artificially elevated cholesterol levels were given 10 ml of eggplant juice daily for 14 days. The researchers concluded that after such a diet, experimental rabbits had a qualitative decrease in weight, and a decrease in cholesterol levels in the plasma and aorta, as well as a significant decrease in triglycerides, high levels of which increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
• American specialists from the Center for Cardiovascular Research at the University of Connecticut also became interested in the ability of eggplants to eliminate dysfunction of the heart muscle and its lesions. Moreover, scientists compared the effectiveness of raw and grilled eggplants by introducing prepared vegetable-based products into the diet of laboratory animals for 30 days. Grilled fruits were tested along with raw ones to understand how much the chemical composition changes in terms of the effect of such eggplant on the heart.
  Studies using an isolated heart perfusion model have shown that, regardless of cooking method, eggplant retains potent cardioprotective compounds that have significant protective properties. The concentration of some components (for example, antioxidant vitamins A, C, β-carotene) decreased after grilling, while others (for example, the antioxidant compound nasunin) increased. However, this did not create qualitative differences in the protective effect – in any form, eggplants turned out to be good for the heart.
• The University of Massachusetts Food Biotechnology Laboratory investigated the ability of eggplant phenolic compounds to improve the condition of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Based on in vitro experiments, researchers recommended the eggplant diet as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, finding that phenol-enriched eggplant extracts with moderate antioxidant activity were able to suppress and block alpha-glucosides, reduce associated high blood pressure and, as a result, , improve the condition of patients .
• In 2011, Australian scientists presented extensive clinical trials of a new class of antitumor drugs based on eggplant-derived compounds (Solasodine Rhamnosyl Glycosides – SRG; also known as BEC drugs). The agents used have demonstrated high effectiveness when administered intravenously and intraperitoneally, as well as when applied topically as part of a cream (Curaderm) in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer. The cream was reported to be more effective than a number of other anticancer drugs, and impressive cosmetic results were obtained.

For weight loss

A special role in the process of losing weight with the help of eggplants is played by chlorogenic acid , which is found in even greater quantities in the peel of green coffee beans. The mechanism of action of chlorogenic acid, due to which subcutaneous fat is primarily consumed during physical activity, is described as follows.

Once in the body, the substance binds glycogen (polysaccharide), which is formed by glucose residues and is considered its main form of storage. With increasing physical activity, free glycogen begins to be consumed from reserves, providing the body with energy. But if the polysaccharide is retained by acid, then in the same situation the body is forced to turn to other sources of energy – to subcutaneous fat deposits.

The effectiveness of weight loss with the participation of chlorogenic acid is estimated at approximately 10%. At the same time, extensive independent research has not been conducted to test the operation of the described mechanism, and the sponsors of those experiments, which are sometimes referred to on the Internet, are called green coffee sellers who are financially interested in the results obtained. Thus, only new research will be able to put together a complete picture of the dietary effects of acid on the body.

Fortunately, in the matter of weight loss, eggplant has another, already undeniable, advantage – in its raw form it contains very few calories (only 24-25 kcal / 100g), and although the baked version contains twice as many calories, it's still relatively little. Unfortunately, eggplant fried in oil increases its calorie content tenfold, ceasing to be a dietary product. To remove excess oil, fried vegetables are placed on a paper towel or steamed for 10-15 minutes, but the calorie content of such a dish still remains high.

In cooking

On the European continent, people were able to recognize the culinary merits of eggplant quite late – only in the 19th century, but since then, over two hundred years, various national cuisines have managed to include this vegetable in traditional dishes. The reason for this is the good compatibility of eggplant with cereals, meat, and other vegetables. Moreover, the vegetable does not just add its own taste to dishes. It gives them volume and helps create shape, while maintaining a delicate texture that other vegetables cannot.

Different peoples of the world have their own unique eggplant dishes:

• The hit of the Caucasian summer is ajapsandal.
  It is based on eggplants, sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes , onions, garlic, herbs (dill, basil , cilantro, parsley) with the possible addition of potatoes. According to the recipe, fried onions, peeled tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and herbs are gradually added to the pan. Simmer the dish for about 10 minutes, after which the stew is mixed with eggplants fried in sunflower oil and kept in the refrigerator for several hours.
  Ajapsandal is served both cold and hot and differs from its more ancient European counterpart – ratatouille – in that the latter may not contain eggplant at all, while in ajapsandal it is the base ingredient. It is significant that eggplant is now also often found in modern versions of ratatouille.
• Eastern appetizer babaganoush (or baba ganouj).
  Some call babaganoush porridge, others call it pate, and still others call it sauce. But many people fell in love with this appetizer, and in Israel (where the dish is more often called “hatzlim salad”) not a single large and festive feast is complete without it.
  To prepare babaganoush, the whole eggplant is placed on the fire (usually on the grill, but you can even on the fire of a home gas stove or in the oven) so that the flame chars the outside of the skin. Then the fruit is cut lengthwise, and the tender pulp is scraped out so that the burnt peel does not fall into the dish, but all the most delicious things are preserved after such extreme treatment with fire. Next, the pulp is crushed into a homogeneous mass, spices, oil and, as a rule, sesame paste are added.
• Turkish “boats”, or Imam Bayaldi.
  From the Turkic language the name of the dish is translated as “The Imam lost consciousness (fainted).” One of several popular versions associates this with the excellent taste of stuffed eggplants. To prepare “boats”, a deep longitudinal incision is made in the eggplant and through it, all the seeds and 2/3 of the pulp are first selected, and then prepared rice, thick tomato filling, vegetables (onion, garlic , sweet pepper, sun-dried or fresh tomato) are placed in it. ), spices (nutmeg, coriander, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper), herbs.
  The set of products and the form of Imam Bayalda may differ in different preparation options. In Turkey, for example, it is sometimes served, for example, in the form of a casserole (and in general, in Turkey alone there are about 600 recipes that include this vegetable). But the essence of Imam Bayalda remains the same – the eggplant absorbs the aromas and juices of all other ingredients, adding its own taste to them.

In addition to those listed above, there are other famous dishes with eggplant in the world: Sicilian caponata, Moroccan zaalouk, Greek moussaka, etc.

Thanks to the writer Valentin Kataev, one Odessa tradition has become widely known – cutting eggplant with a wooden knife. Having arrived from Odessa to Moscow, Kataev tried to prepare homemade eggplant caviar “Odessa style,” but without a wooden knife with which to chop the baked pulp of the fruit, he was unable to do this.

It makes sense to use a wooden or ceramic (not metal) knife when slicing eggplants. Thanks to iron ions, the antioxidants (polyphenols) contained in the vegetable are oxidized more easily and quickly than simply upon contact with oxygen. Therefore, if you cut the pulp with an iron knife or pass it through a metal screw of a meat grinder, it will darken (oxidize) more. The reaction rate is also affected by high temperature exposure, which disrupts the structure of the enzymes, which means that when baking an eggplant whole and then cutting it, it will darken less than if it is first cut and then baked.

In cosmetology

The cosmetic benefits of eggplant were appreciated both by manufacturers of mass cosmetics and by home care for the skin of the face and hands. South Korean companies are especially fond of eggplant extract, some of which promise that this ingredient in the mask will help rid the skin of dead skin cells, smooth out the epidermis and narrow pores, others that it will even out skin tone and lighten it, and still others that it will prevent aging cells and activates self-defense mechanisms.

Manufacturers of homemade cosmetics expect approximately the same from eggplant, hoping that a mask made from it:

• lightens pigment spots;
• smooth out wrinkles and restore tone;
• moisturizes the skin;
• will cure acne .

Here are recipes for several popular cosmetic formulations:

• Mask for problem skin. 10 g of grated eggplant are mixed with the same amount of clay and 15 drops of flax oil . The composition is applied to the face in a thick layer for 15-20 minutes. This procedure removes sebaceous blockages at the mouth of the hair follicle, narrows pores and stimulates microcirculation in blood vessels.
• Mask for age spots and freckles. 15 ml of eggplant juice squeezed out using a press are mixed with grapefruit juice (in a ratio of 3/1), 10 g of oatmeal powder (flour), and a gram pinch of ginger . The composition is placed on previously cleansed skin for 15 minutes, after which it is removed with damp cotton wool or a sponge.
• Toning mask. 15 ml of squeezed eggplant juice is mixed with 10 g of honey and one ascorbic acid tablet crushed into powder. As in previous procedures, the composition is applied to cleansed skin for about a quarter of an hour.

From the above examples it is clear that although eggplant is considered the main component in recipes, the auxiliary components provide target orientation in the use of a cosmetic product. To cleanse the skin, add sea salt (5 g) and activated carbon (tablet) to eggplant juice, for whitening – soda (5 g) and lemon juice (5 ml), for moisturizing – cottage cheese (10 g) and cream (15 ml) .

Dangerous properties of eggplant and contraindications

Like other nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, etc.), eggplants, among other organic compounds, contain solanine, a poisonous glycoside (alkaloid), which is produced by various parts of the plant for protective purposes, acting as a fungicide and insecticide.

The very Latin name of eggplant – Solanum melongena – indirectly indicates a significant amount of toxic alkaloid in this vegetable crop, which gives it a bitter taste. However, unlike, for example, tomatoes, in which the toxic compound accumulates in green, unripe fruits, in eggplants solanine reaches its maximum concentration during ripening. Moreover, berries of dark varieties collect it mainly in the skin.

Solanine exhibits toxicity even in small doses. First, it causes some stimulation of the nervous system, after which it becomes depressed. In parallel, the decomposition of red blood cells occurs. Poisoning manifests itself in the form of nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. Headaches and spatial disorientation may occur. The victims have dilated pupils. In severe cases, it can lead to seizures and coma.

Of course, for serious eggplant poisoning, you need to eat a lot of overripe raw fruits of dark varieties. However, in order not to experiment on yourself, you can simply take a number of preventive measures:

• Pick fruits at the stage of “technical maturity”, without waiting for them to accumulate a toxic compound.
• Get rid of particularly toxic skins in old dark varieties.
• Buy modern hybrids that have been removed by breeders from high concentrations of solanine, and, therefore, from the characteristic bitterness.
• Pre-treat the pulp (for example, soaking in brackish water).
• Heat-treat the product, which will largely remove the alkaloid from it (although it will also “relieve” the dish of some useful substances).

The most progressive path is scientific. Breeders, developing new modern hybrids, rid eggplant of the conditionally poisonous solanine, so that the fruits with light flesh can be eaten even without soaking and raw.

However, in addition to solanine, eggplants also contain oxalic acid, which promotes the formation of oxalate kidney stones, which is dangerous for people with urolithiasis . This is considered the most serious contraindication.

In addition, people with gastrointestinal problems ( gastritis , ulcers, disorders), as well as insulin-dependent patients, in whom eggplant in the diet can cause a pathological decrease in glucose concentration, should limit the consumption of eggplant.

We have collected the most important points about the benefits and possible harm of eggplants in this illustration and will be very grateful if you share the picture on social networks with a link to our page:

Interesting Facts

Eggplant has a long history and a complex fate. The history began in India and South Asia, where it was domesticated one and a half thousand years ago. In the 9th century, thanks to the Arabs, eggplant came to Africa, and in the 15th century it reached Europe.

“Overseas caviar, eggplant” as an image of an outlandish, extremely rare and expensive product appeared in the famous film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession” in episodes telling about the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584). By the 16th century, eggplant was indeed already known in our area, but at that time it was considered primarily as an ornamental plant or the basis for medicinal potions and love potions, and not as food. The vegetable had too bad a reputation to be served on the royal table.

One of the names of the eggplant – “rabies apple” (or “obsession apple”) – hints that a person who tasted this fruit began to suffer from clouding of reason and hallucinations. This opinion could be partly provoked by the fact that a person poisoned with solanine sometimes had problems with orientation in space. However, most likely, the eggplant earned its reputation by mistake due to the fact that the Latin “species” name “melongena”, which in Italian became “melanzana”, was sometimes heard as two words “mela insana”, which can be translated as “ crazy apple.”

“By mistake,” another regional name for eggplant appeared – “blue”, often used in the southern regions of the country. According to one version, the reason for this was not the purple color of the peel, but the path through which the vegetable got to the markets of port cities. It is believed that since the eggplant reached Odessa from China, and the name of this country in Hebrew sounds like “sin”, a new consonant name was attached to the eggplant itself – “little blue”.

The appearance of the American version of the name also depended on the specifics of local residents' acquaintance with the vegetable. The first eggplants that came to the overseas continent were small, round, white and yellow in color and resembled eggs, which is why the term “egg-plant” began to be used in the USA, which translates as “egg plant”.

Finally, the definition of “vegetable” that is widely applied to eggplant can also be considered a mistake, since it is not entirely correct from a scientific point of view. In the botanical classification, eggplant is classified as a berry, and it is appropriate to call it a vegetable when talking about it as a culinary object – a food product.

Selection and storage

The selection of high-quality eggplants is carried out based on external characteristics. The fruit should have smooth skin without cuts, dents, traces of mold or dark rotten spots. At the same time, the buyer's list of tasks includes the acquisition of not only intact, but also slightly unripe fruits (at the stage of technical maturity). To do this, evaluate the condition of the stalk, which in overripe vegetables will look stale and brown. The young fruit should be elastic to the touch. If the seller shows his product “in cross-section,” then you can also estimate the number of seeds (old eggplants have a lot of them).

To assess the concentration of solanine in a variety, they usually rely on the color of the pulp. The greener it is, the more toxic compounds and, accordingly, bitterness there are in the variety, and the lighter (whiter) the less. Without breaking the fruit, the color of the pulp inside can be determined by the color of the spot on the “top” of the eggplant. A “white spot” indicates that the pulp inside the eggplant is the same.

Eggplants are stored at room temperature for about 2-3 days. But for longer storage, you need to move them to the refrigerator. Eggplant can stay in the vegetable compartment for about 3-4 weeks. And with deep freezing – at least six months. Sometimes varieties containing solanine are peeled and kept in salt water for several hours before refrigeration.

Varieties and cultivation

Gardeners in our country have recently increasingly paid attention to exotic varieties of this vegetable crop. The familiar oblong purple eggplant fruit is just one of the options in an extremely wide variety of varieties. Thanks to breeding work, the fruits of different eggplant varieties differ from each other in many ways:

• by size: there are both tiny 30-gram berries and 2-kilogram giants;
• by color: eggplants are white, yellow, pink, red, green, black, striped;
• in shape: some resemble chicken eggs, others resemble spheres and balls, and others are more like pears.

In the review below, we have collected the top 5 multi-colored varieties, demonstrating how the fruits of the same plant species can differ from each other.

• “White Egg” In addition to the fact that the fruits of this hybrid look like a chicken egg, they have a pronounced mushroom ( champignon ) taste without the bitterness characteristic of many purple berries. Sometimes the tender flesh of white varieties is also compared to chicken meat. The most famous include “Iceberg”, “Swan”, “Pin-Pong”, Bibo, “Pelican”, with a recognizable saber-shaped fruit, etc.
• “Thai green” It represents a group of green eggplants, but even in this group the hybrid stands out for its exotic shape (curved cylindrical fruits vaguely resemble unripe bananas ) and surprisingly tender, sweet and aromatic pulp, which is valued by chefs all over the world. The light green hybrid “Yoga” is similar in appearance to “Thai Green”, but it is inferior in taste to its Thai “relative”. Other varieties of green eggplants can be drop-shaped , spherical (“Green Galaxy F1”, and cylindrical flattened.
• “Golden Boy”. The fruits of the hybrid have a bright yellow color, and although they can be eaten when collected during the period of technical maturity, yellow eggplant is more often grown as an ornamental plant. In particular, the height of the “Golden Boy” rarely exceeds half a meter, which makes it an excellent “windowsill crop”.
• “Red Ruffled” Despite the “telling” name, this decorative hybrid, like the previous one, belongs to the group of yellow eggplants. Its red-orange skin acquires its characteristic color in the stage of incomplete ripening, when the fruits should be harvested. Ripe eggplants are bitter and contain many hard seeds. Due to its color, round shape with flattening at the “poles”, ribbed fruit and size (3-4 cm in diameter), “Red Ruffled” looks like a tomato.
• “Sailor.” The name of the eggplant directly indicates its striping – pink-lilac uneven coloring is located on the white background of the fruit. Despite this coloring, there is no bitter and poisonous solanine in this variety, thanks to which the Matrosik eggplant can be used raw in salads, and its thin skin does not need to be removed when cooking.

Eggplants are a tricky crop to grow. It is heat-loving, photophilous, sensitive to transplantation and sudden temperature changes. Even at low positive temperatures that last long enough, the plant dies. With the development of new hybrids, breeders have achieved greater resistance to temperature changes, which has greatly simplified the task of gardeners, farmers and gardeners.