Thomas Jefferson grew eggplant he obtained from France in his garden at Monticello in Virginia. Today the heirloom garden there continues to grow an all-white, prickly variety.
The eggplant really took hold in countries bordering the Mediterranean.
The Turks are said to have 1000 recipes for the fruit, and regularly cook
about 40. Greeks, Egyptians and other people of the Middle East , too,
feature the eggplant as daily fare. Southern Italians revel in eggplant
parmigiana, while the French of the south favor ratatouille, a vegetable
stew. Spicy eggplant dishes abound in the plant’s home country of India,
as well as in China and Thailand.
Click image to enlarge.
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“Black Beauty Bomb” by Craig Nutt |
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Plastic eggplant car, 1970’s |
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