See also: Article on Eggplant

EGGPLANT TRIVIA and FACTS

Eggplants are actually fruits, and classified botanically as berries!

U.S. Eggplant per capita usage

1970

1980

1990

2000

2011

0.3 lbs

0.5 lbs

0.4 lbs

0.8 lbs

0.7 lbs

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service


Asia accounts for more than 3/4 of world eggplant production.

Eggplant: Top 5 Producing Countries       (USDA)

 

2000

2010

World Total

60.07 billion lbs

92.05 billion lbs

China

30.38 billion lbs

53.9 billion lbs

India

17.9 billion lbs

23.24 billion lbs

Egypt

1.56 billion lbs

2.71 billion lbs

Turkey

2.04 billion lbs

1.86 billion lbs

Indonesia

600 million lbs

1.06 billion lbs


Turkey produces more eggplant than all of Europe combined.

Purple Eggplant

Eggplant (Solanum melongena esculentum) is a member of the nightshade family and is native to India. The early varieties were bitter, but cultivation and crossbreeding have greatly improved the flavor. Eggplant is related to potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers.

Eggplants are native to India, and India and the Far East are still its largest consumers.

Thomas Jefferson is believed to have brought the first eggplants to the U.S.

Eggplant Seed Packet

Eggplant isn't a particularly popular vegetable in the United States, but it's a favorite in many areas of the South.  Thomas Jefferson, who experimented with many varieties of plants in his Virginia garden, is credited with introducing eggplant to North America.
     In various parts of Europe, people suspected that eating eggplant caused madness, not to mention leprosy, cancer, and bad breath, which is why eggplant was used mostly for decoration in England and the United States nearly up to the 20th century.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day

The name eggplant was originally applied to a white skinned variety.
 

 

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