The History of Eggplant in Italian Cooking

       

Eggplant is a delicious ingredient that many Italian dishes are centered around or have variations of. Although the eggplant is such an integral part of Italian cooking many people don’t know the history of it or where it has originated from in Italian cuisine.

       The eggplant is grown as an edible fruit and it is related to both the tomato and potato. It is also available year round. When cooking eggplant, it will become tender as well as increase in flavor. In Italian cooking it is typically fried or baked, although the possibilities are endless. The Italian eggplant benefits from its ability to absorb almost all flavors with no problem at all as well as liquids that it is cooked with. This is why it is important that when adding butter or oil you should be careful to not over do it so that you avoid adding extra calories in addition to making the dish extra soggy. There are also many pairings that the eggplant can be used with such as tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, parmesan, mozzarella cheese, onions, garlic, herbs such as basil, arugula and oregano, grilled steak, veal, and lamb. Eggplant also has a very short shelf life and needs to be used within three to four days of harvesting it; eggplants should also not be refrigerated as this can damage it. Many of the famous dishes that revolve around eggplant are eggplant parmesan, caponata and melanzane sott’olio or pickled eggplant under oil.

       The eggplant is the cornerstone to a majority of Italian meals and is an ingredient that continues to be experimented with by chefs all over. The eggplant has inspired many great dishes and has become almost synonymous with Italian cooking throughout the years.

Here at La Bottega Farmingdale located on Long Island, we offer a wide variety of authentic Italian dishes that feature eggplant including three of our paninis. Our Potenza panini features fried eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, basil on krispina bread. Our Foggia features also fried eggplant, smoked mozzarella, black olive paste, sundried tomato on krispina bread. Our Sicilia panini features fried eggplant, mozzarella, roasted peppers on krispina. These dishes are just a few of our many panini options. Order online or come by today!