Benefits, composition and origin of eggplant
The birthplace of eggplant-a fruit of an unusual purple color, is India, where it grew wildly in ancient times, but for more than one and a half thousand years, eggplant has been cultivated. By the way, eggplant is correctly called not a vegetable, but a berry.
In length, the eggplant grows up to 30 cm, with a diameter of up to 20 cm. It is usually oval in shape and purple in color, but sometimes it is yellowish or purple in hue, and may even be striped. The best taste qualities in blue-black oblong slightly unripe fruits. Usually in such eggplants, the seeds are small and they taste more tender. Raw eggplants are not eaten, they are usually stewed or fried.
In the people, the eggplant has several names, it is called blue, demyanka, Adrian. There is even a legend about eggplants, which tells how one of the Turkish imams, having first tasted an artfully prepared eggplant, fainted, so impressed was he by the exquisite taste of this unusual dish.
Composition of ripe eggplant fruits:
5.5% carbohydrates;
0,9% of proteins;
0.1% fat;
1.3% fiber;
0.2% of organic acids;
9% of dry matter.
Benefits and properties of eggplant.
Eggplant is a low-calorie product, but it contains B vitamins, vitamin C, PP and carotene, as well as essential minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus. These fruits are very useful for the elderly, they are good in therapy and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin C contained in eggplant protects the body from infections and colds. B vitamins perfectly strengthen the nervous system, help to get rid of insomnia. Eggplant is good for the skin, as it helps to retain moisture in it, and therefore get rid of wrinkles. Useful substances, which are rich in fruits, help tissues to regenerate, and the skin to get rid of small wounds.
Due to the content of iron, zinc and manganese in blue fruits, they are indicated for anemia and are especially useful for those who have problems with the vascular system and heart.
How to choose
Of course, young fruits are best. In overripe fruits, there will be too much of such an unhealthy substance as solanine. Solanine is also found in young fruits, which explains their slightly bitter taste, but in small amounts. If the eggplant contains too much solanine, it can cause stomach problems and irritation of the esophagus. Young eggplants are easily recognized by the condition of the skin and peduncle. If the stem is brown, then this eggplant has long been plucked. The skin should be free of brown spots, the young eggplant is not wrinkled and dry, and also slippery or soft.
If you bought eggplants, and at home began to doubt their youth, then carry out a simple procedure to get rid of excessive corned beef content: hold eggplants for some time in a 3% salt solution. Salt water will help remove most of the corned beef from the fruit.
The storage location
Eggplant is a perishable product, which at elevated air temperature in a dry room will dry up very quickly, shrivel up and lose most of its useful qualities. If there is no cooling system in the room where eggplants are stored, then you can keep them there for no more than 2 days. If the relative humidity is 85-90%, and the temperature is 1-2 degrees, then in such conditions eggplants can be stored for up to 25 days.
In length, the eggplant grows up to 30 cm, with a diameter of up to 20 cm. It is usually oval in shape and purple in color, but sometimes it is yellowish or purple in hue, and may even be striped. The best taste qualities in blue-black oblong slightly unripe fruits. Usually in such eggplants, the seeds are small and they taste more tender. Raw eggplants are not eaten, they are usually stewed or fried.
In the people, the eggplant has several names, it is called blue, demyanka, Adrian. There is even a legend about eggplants, which tells how one of the Turkish imams, having first tasted an artfully prepared eggplant, fainted, so impressed was he by the exquisite taste of this unusual dish.
Composition of ripe eggplant fruits:
5.5% carbohydrates;
0,9% of proteins;
0.1% fat;
1.3% fiber;
0.2% of organic acids;
9% of dry matter.
Benefits and properties of eggplant.
Eggplant is a low-calorie product, but it contains B vitamins, vitamin C, PP and carotene, as well as essential minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus. These fruits are very useful for the elderly, they are good in therapy and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin C contained in eggplant protects the body from infections and colds. B vitamins perfectly strengthen the nervous system, help to get rid of insomnia. Eggplant is good for the skin, as it helps to retain moisture in it, and therefore get rid of wrinkles. Useful substances, which are rich in fruits, help tissues to regenerate, and the skin to get rid of small wounds.
Due to the content of iron, zinc and manganese in blue fruits, they are indicated for anemia and are especially useful for those who have problems with the vascular system and heart.
How to choose
Of course, young fruits are best. In overripe fruits, there will be too much of such an unhealthy substance as solanine. Solanine is also found in young fruits, which explains their slightly bitter taste, but in small amounts. If the eggplant contains too much solanine, it can cause stomach problems and irritation of the esophagus. Young eggplants are easily recognized by the condition of the skin and peduncle. If the stem is brown, then this eggplant has long been plucked. The skin should be free of brown spots, the young eggplant is not wrinkled and dry, and also slippery or soft.
If you bought eggplants, and at home began to doubt their youth, then carry out a simple procedure to get rid of excessive corned beef content: hold eggplants for some time in a 3% salt solution. Salt water will help remove most of the corned beef from the fruit.
The storage location
Eggplant is a perishable product, which at elevated air temperature in a dry room will dry up very quickly, shrivel up and lose most of its useful qualities. If there is no cooling system in the room where eggplants are stored, then you can keep them there for no more than 2 days. If the relative humidity is 85-90%, and the temperature is 1-2 degrees, then in such conditions eggplants can be stored for up to 25 days.