Best Eggplant Types in the World
This eggplant is produced exclusively in Arcadia prefecture near the town of Leonidio. These purple, slightly curved aubergines with unusual white stripes are cultivated outdoors on the sandy soils of the area. They are harvested from May to November.
What sets them apart from other eggplant varieties is their white stripes and their very mild, almost sweet taste with a lack of bitterness. Tsakoniki Melitzana Leonidiou is used as a basic ingredient in many recipes, and is often prepared as 'melitzanaki', a spoon sweet.
The red eggplant first appeared in Rotonda in the late 1930s when Italian emigrants and colonists living in Ethiopia returned home just before the advent of World War II and brought this peculiar plant with them. The hardiness and versatility of Merlingiana a pummadora, as the locals call it, have made it an essential and much-prized fruit.
It is today cultivated in all vegetable gardens within the Pollino National Park in the province of Potenza. To preserve the seeds, the smaller aubergines are tied together and left outside to dry - nzertate . When fully ripe, Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda is bright red in color and looks like a tomato but since it has quite a piquant and bitter aftertaste, it is more often harvested unripe, while it's still orange with green streaks and unlike other eggplants it doesn't darken when cut.
Thai eggplant is variety of eggplant originating from Thailand, also common in Southeast Asian cuisines.
It's distinct from the large, dark purple eggplants familiar to many people in the West. Thai eggplants are small, round or slightly oblong, and generally range in size from a large grape to a golf ball. The color can be white, green, or purple, often with stripes.
Yoshikawa nasu is an eggplant variety originating around the former Yoshikawa Village of Sabae City. The eggplant is round or slightly oval-shaped, reminiscent of old Japanese money-bags or purses, which is the reason why it's used in high-class restaurants.
The flavor is intense, while the texture of the flesh is firm. The skin is very thin, so the eggplants can easily become bruised or scratched. The seeds are very small, so the eggplants don't break apart and become too mushy when cooked. Yoshikawa nasu is usually harvested from June to November, and each tree yields about 40 eggplants.
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