Ford On Food

Often referred to as ‘eggplant’, Aubergine is commonly used as a vegetable, but it’s actually as a fruit, related to tomatoes and potatoes. In fact, the fruit itself is botanically classified as a berry. And, believe it or not, the aubergine plant is a close relative of the tobacco plant. Originating in South East Asia, the aubergine is also widely used in Italian, Mediterranean, French and Middle Eastern cuisines. There are many varieties of aubergine – some are small pea shaped and some are large pumpkin-like in shape and size. Colours vary from green, cream, dark purple to yellow. Aubergines can be served hot or cold, braised, baked, battered and deep-fried, grilled, pan-fried, barbecued, stuffed, blended and pureed. The most famous dishes made from aubergine are ratatouille (not the movie), moussaka, baba ghanoush and imam bayildi. I’m a big fan of aubergine, especially grilled slices. However they can be a little bitter in their original form. That’s because they contain the highest level of nicotine of