The Nightshade Family: Tomato, Capsicums, Eggplant,
and Others
This remarkable plant family includes several
of the world’s most popular vegetables as well
as tobacco and deadly nightshade; in fact it
was the tomato’s resemblance to nightshade
that slowed its acceptance in Europe.
Members of the nightshade family share the
habit of stock-piling chemical defenses,
usually bitter alkaloids. Many generations of
selection and breeding have reduced these
defenses in most edible nightshade fruits,
though their leaves are often still toxic.
There’s one nightshade defense that humans
have fallen in love with: the pungent
capsaicins of the chilli “peppers.” Chillis are
the most popular spice in the world; their
pungency is discussed in chapter 8. In this
section I’ll describe the milder capsicums that
are eaten as vegetables.