Eggplant

Solanum melongena, commonly known as eggplant, aubergine or brinjal, is a plant species in the nightshade family grown worldwide for its edible fruit, typically used as a vegetable in cooking and, by botanical definition, itself a berry. Most commonly purple, its spongy, absorbent flesh is used across many cuisines, and as a member of the genus Solanum it is related to the tomato, chili pepper and potato, though those originated in the Americas while the eggplant originated in Eurasia; like the tomato, its skin and seeds are edible but it is usually eaten cooked. Eggplant is nutritionally modest in both macronutrients and micronutrients, but its capacity to absorb oils and flavors into its flesh during cooking has made it valuable across the culinary arts, and it was originally domesticated from a wild, bitter nightshade species.