Healthy Aubergines or Eggplants Are Often Ignored - Why They Should Be Part Of Your Cooking

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lynne_Evans]Lynne Evans
Eggplants and aubergines are the same things, eggplants is US English while aubergine is British English and French. In Greek they are meltizana, and are essential in the Greek and Turkish dishes of moussaka. In these cuisines, as well as in Italian cuisine, they are very popular and of course, very fresh when bought in these countries.
In other countries we have to buy them pre-packaged and these do not last for more then a few days once we get them home. They are problematic to store as they can't be kept for more than two days in a refrigerator as they don't like cold temperatures. They don't like room temperature either, so you either have to use them quickly or cook them soon after buying. You can store them in a freezer, but they must be blanched first, which involves putting cubed, peeled aubergines in boiling water for 10 minutes with lemon juice or a teaspoon of vinegar (lemon juice is best) and then plunging them into cold water, to cool quickly, drying them thoroughly and putting them in freezer bags and freezing. If you have the time to do this they will keep for 6-8 months.
However they are best used within a few days of purchase, and as they are very tasty, this is advisable. First of all you cube the aubergines but be careful of the stem, as it might have thorns. Then you should layer the cubes in a sieve and sprinkle salt over them. This will bring out the bitter juices, and when you see these, about 20 minutes after they have been salted, you can wash them thoroughly under cold running water to get rid of the excess salt and those bitter brown juices.
Eggplants are like sponges; if you fry them they will absorb the oil rapidly, so if you are on a calorie controlled diet, the best way of using them is as additions to casseroles, soups and stews. They have a soft texture and are a 'hot' vegetable so they help keep out the winter chills. You can grill them too, although you need to drizzle them with olive oil and herbs, to make them really tasty. One of the best ways, I have found of cooking them is to roast them over a gas flame so that the skin bubbles and chars, and is easy to peel. This gives the flesh a delicious smoky flavour. It is one of my favourite Pakistani dishes, Baingan ka Bertha. (Eggplants are called baingan in Urdu and brinjal in Hindi.)
In Greece there is aubergine salad (melitzana salata), a dip made from these fruit which are, like the tomato, a fruit which is used as a vegetable.
Eggplants are closely related to the tomato, the potato and tobacco, all being members of the nightshade family. They are packed full of health benefits, and the anthocyanins, vitamins and minerals have antioxidant properties, which means that they can help combat free radicals which attack healthy cells and make them cancerous. They are fairly rich in both calcium and magnesium, and have some B-complex vitamins which are essential for a healthy metabolism.
Aubergines come in various colours, including white-violet, white, purple, and even yellow. They may be shaped like an egg, which is how they got their name in the States, or they may be long and thin, as they often are in Asia, and perhaps a paler purple than the more usual egg-shaped ones.
Whichever variety you buy, you probably won't regret it, as long as you don't try to keep them for weeks. Why not look at some recipes, decide which you'd like to try and buy an eggplant and experiment with it? http://www.herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.com If you enjoyed this article you might want to check out the recipe for baingan ka bertha (smoky aubergines) which is on this site. There are also other aubergine recipes and lots of information about the food we eat and the herbs and spices we put into our food. It also has information on different plants which are used for medicinal purposes. Why not click on the link to discover this site for yourself?
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Aubergines-or-Eggplants-Are-Often-Ignored---Why-They-Should-Be-Part-Of-Your-Cooking&id=6658760] Healthy Aubergines or Eggplants Are Often Ignored - Why They Should Be Part Of Your Cooking