Eggplant d’amour

“When I was alone, I lived on eggplant, the stove top cook’s strongest ally…. “ 'Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant' Laurie Colwin


This is one of the great under-appreciated vegetables. Though there may be marginal real nutritive needs satisfied by the eggplant, the fact that the meat willingly absorbs liquids, makes it a wonderful host for great flavors of stocks and sauces. You can add the texture of eggplant to your recipe for only 25 calories per 8-ounce portion making your recipes light and more filling.
There are great recipes with fantastic names in many cultures that pay homage to the eggplant: Baba Ghanoush, Moussaka, Escalivada, Melanzane alla Parmigiana and my personal favorite, Ratatouille. These dishes have been devoured for eons from their native Sri Lanka, after the collapse of the Guptas, appearing in the west with the growth of the Byzantine Empire and the spread of Islam. The eggplant grows on plants blooming out into two shapes: ovals and elongated. The ovals are preferred in the American South; the colors range from white to indigo: dyes from the pigment have been made to color teeth in ancient civilizations. Elongated varieties, such as Italian or Chinese, are popular in many throughout the world; colors range from white to pale green to deep purple. Baby hybrids of these shapes are readily available. So call it what you like: aubergine, brinjal, Guinea squash, metazoan, or mad apple, when you plan to serve it, just don’t call me late for dinner.
"How can people say they don’t eat eggplant when God loves the color and the French love the name?" Jeff Smith

Festivals:

http://www.loomischamber.com/eggplantfestival.cfm Loomis, CA
http://en.agrotravel.gr/agro/site/AgroTravel/t_docpage?sparam=prefecture_of_arkadia&doc=/Documents/Agrotravel/event/arcadia/giortimelitzanas&sub_nav=Lodgings Leonidio Greece