capsicums develop a thick, smooth
consistency when cooked and pureed for a
soup or sauce.
Eggplants, or Aubergines Eggplants are the
only major vegetable in the nightshade family
that came from the Old World. An early
ancestor may have floated from Africa to
India or Southeast Asia, where it was
domesticated, and where small, bitter
varieties are still appreciated as a condiment.
Arab traders brought it to Spain and north
Africa in the Middle Ages, and it was eaten in
Italy in the 15th century, in France by the
18th. (The etymology of aubergine mirrors
this history; it comes via Spanish and Arabic
from the Sanskrit name.) Thanks to its
tropical origins, the eggplant doesn’t keep
well in the refrigerator; internal chilling
damage leads to browning and off-flavors in a
few days.
There are many varieties of eggplant, white-