Like its relative the tomato, the eggplant is a fruit that is often mistaken for a vegetable because it is almost always used in savoury dishes.
There are stacks of reasons to adore luscious, purple-skinned eggplant — an ingredient that adds a nutritious flavour twist to any meal from breakfast to dinner.
Antioxidant ace
Eggplants get their glorious purple hue from compounds called anthocyanins, which have powerful antioxidant properties.
Lighter choice
Like most vegetables, eggplant contains very few kilojoules. A whole small eggplant provides just 296kJ (71cal).
Good for your gut
A small eggplant boasts 7.6g of fibre. That’s at least a quarter of your daily gut-loving fibre requirements.
Vitamin boost
You’ll get a small hit of vitamin C when you enjoy eggplant, with 20 per cent of your daily needs per small veg.
Purple power
Eggplants contain potassium, which is important for nerve and muscle function. A small eggplant offers up to 20 per cent of daily potassium needs.
Cook it and grow it!
Eggplant is simple to prepare as it can be used without peeling. For a step-by-step guide to buying, preparing and cooking eggplant, we recommend: How to cook eggplant.
When it comes to producing a good crop of eggplants, warmth is the key ingredient. For eggplant growing tips, we recommend: How to grow eggplants.
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