For many it’s as a vegetable in common ways but eggplant is indeed a fruit in the botanical sense. Although we have the impression that there is only one kind of eggplant, there are several varieties, the Italian is the most common in our grocery stores, dark purple, elongated and quite big, there also has the American Fancy variety which is very big and almost black. In some supermarkets or specialized grocery stores, we also find Chinese, Japanese, white and striated.
Eggplant has a spongy flesh that absorbs the oil quickly. When I prepare them for my Italian lasagna, I disgorge them with coarse salt 1/2 hour, rinse with clear water and the towels in a clean cloth, then I brush them with a little oil of olive and they will be ready for slow frying in the pan.
