An eggplant, brinjal or aubergine is either of two species of nightshade, Solanum melongena and S. esculentum, bearing large pendulous purple or white fruit. The raw fruit has a spongelike texture and somewhat disagreeable taste, but on cooking becomes tender and develops a rich, complex flavor. It is especially useful culinarily owing to its ability to absorb great amounts of cooking fats, making possible extraordinarily rich dishes.
The variety that closely resembles a chicken egg in both size and shape is commonly known today as the Indian eggplant. The varieties cultivated in Europe and North America today are of similar shape but both larger and darker. A Chinese eggplant is shaped like a cucumber. Both Indian and Chinese eggplants usually have a color gradient, from white at the stem to bright purple to deep purple, but albino varieties also exist.
