The Purple People Eat

Call it aubergine or brinjal or melanzana, the eggplant has many names and comes in many colours

- Jennifer Stackhouse

The eggplant’s closest relatives are tomato, capsicum, and potato. Despite differences in appearance between these popular veggies, all are part of the Solanaceae family.

This family relationship lies in the flowers, which all share a similar shape even though flower color varies from yellow for a tomato to blue or white for potato. Eggplant produces clusters of violet-colored flowers.

Identifying the plant family a vegetable belongs to is important for managing crop rotation and also to recognize what they have in common, such as growing needs and pests and diseases. In the case of eggplants, it’s important not to plant them where other members of the Solanaceae have been grown recently.

COMMON NAMES & VARIETIES

So, if they are related to potatoes and tomatoes, why are these plants with their glossy purple-black-skinned fruits called eggplants? Long ago, they had yellow or white skins so were thought to resemble a large goose or chook egg. The large purple fruit we know today came later.

For those keen to grow an eggplant with fruit that does look like an egg, hunt for ‘White Star’ or the long-fruited ‘Casper’.

There are also varieties with striped purple and white skin. ‘Listada di Gandia’ is an old variety with attractive narrow white-and-purple-striped fruit while the fat-fruited ‘Rosa Bianca’ has a round white fruit with touches of rosy pink.

‘Slim Jim’ offers yet another option fo or eggplants: small and narrow. Adding to its garden appeal, this purple fruit grows on a bush with purple leaves.