New Food of the Month: Eggplant

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

It wasn’t a vegetable I ate as a child. And the few times I tried it at a potluck or picnic as an adult, I was not pleasantly surprised. And yet several times this summer my daughter noticed the smooth, rich sheen of eggplants at local farm stands.

Just when I was wondering what we would do for this month’s new food, she pointed out yet another eggplant. Sure enough, the answer appeared. (I wasn’t that excited, but still was willing to try them again).

On the drive home I discovered both the kids thought it was called eggplant because it tasted like eggs. No wonder they always wrinkled their noses in response to this unusual purple vegetable. Egg-flavored? I hoped not--Yuck!

Yet listen to this: When eggplant was first introduced by the Arabs in the 14th century, the Europeans were convinced that eating it would cause instant—on the spot—insanity.

Funny, huh? I’m sure there are some kids out there that wish eating vegetables did cause insanity.

Eggplant was actually named for its size and shape, not flavor. With origins dating back 2,500 years, eggplant was a native of tropical Asia, first cultivated in India. The size of an egg, they were smaller and more bitter than today’s varieties. Today you may even find eggplants that are white and green, and shaped more oblong than eggy.

Eggplant is actually a berry and a member of the nightshade family. They are 90 percent water and low in calories and other minerals, except for potassium, according to Rebecca Wood in The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia.

So do we like eggplant at our house now?

Amazingly, the answer is YES! Although the kids were rather unsure about trying this food called eggplant, my daughter did help to lightly bread it to prepare it for cooking. I used a simple recipe to keep the flavor identifiable. And I asked them to just try one bite—and surprise—we all ended up having seconds.

So our new food of the month has once again been a success: We have actually added another new vegetable to the old stand-bys that we usually eat—and now I’m on the lookout for some more eggplant recipes. Who knows, maybe I’ll be brave and try eggplant parmesan again sometime.

While traditional parmesan dishes seem to be a popular use of the vegetable due to its meaty texture, here’s a quicker recipe your kids can help make: After the eggplant is sliced, have them dunk the slices in the milk and then press them into the breadcrumbs. It’s a fun way to cook together and end-up with an appealing side dish in less than 10 minutes.

And the only craziness you’ll have at your house is when the kids actually ask for seconds.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4" slices
• 1/4 cup milk or egg white
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/3 cup water