Garden Tales #2 - The Misunderstood Aubergine

22 February 2017

Last week, Hinata decided it was time to pick the little aubergine in the garden plot. While she was watching it grow, Hinata had developed some strong feelings for the little aubergine. It seems she had come to see the aubergine as a sadly misunderstood plant.

So one day, she called a clan meeting in order to discuss the aubergine. "Uh-hum. I want to start by saying that the aubergine is a very misunderstood and maligned plant," she began.

The girls were puzzled. Whatever did she mean?

"Well, the aubergine was telling me about how she was not accepted as a friendly plant in the past. And she insisted that she's not a vegetable but is actually a berry."

The girls were flustered since they had not known that botanically speaking, the aubergine was more properly classified as a fruit.

Mitsuha tapped her chin and said thoughtfully, "Well, a berry is botanically defined as a fleshy, indehiscent fruit without a stone produced from a single flower containing one ovary. If that is the case, then yes, the aubergine is actually a berry."

"Wow," said Akihiko, "I always thought it was a vegetable."

Shion giggled. "Does that mean you'll eat it now? You said you prefer to get your fibre from fruits and not vegetables."

Akihiko stuck his tongue out and declared, "I still shan't eat eggplants. I hate them; they're mushy and bitter."

As at 8 February 2017

"Actually, that's another common myth," said Hinata. "Not all aubergines are bitter, and —"

"Hold up a moment," interjected Yui. "Why did Akihiko call them eggplants? I thought they're called aubergines?" Momiji added, "And I thought they're called brinjal."

Hinata patiently explained, "Well, they have many names. Brinjal is the name commonly used here in our region. Apparently, this name originated from the Portuguese. The British and French call it 'aubergine', which seems to have come from the Arabic name '(al)-bāḏinjān'. The Americans call it 'eggplant'. The Italians call it 'melanzana' which supposedly came from 'mala insana', meaning 'mad apple'. I just follow Mommy, and Mommy always calls it aubergine. She said that's what they always call it when she was growing up."

"Why was it called mad apple by the Italians?" asked Yui.

Hinata sighed dramatically, "That's why I think the poor aubergine has been so badly misunderstood and maligned! In the past, the Europeans thought the aubergine caused madness!"

All eyes turned to Ella and Elizabeth. "Why, don't look at me. I love aubergines," cried Elizabeth.

"I, too, love aubergines," Ella said gently. "But I think I can explain why it was once called the mad apple."

As at 11 February 2017

Ella shifted in her seat and looked towards Hinata, "Would you like to tell them, or shall I?" Hinata thought Ella should continue the defence of aubergines.

"Well," Ella began, "It has something to do with the poor aubergine's history. The aubergine is scientifically named the Solanum melongena, and is part of the nightshade family."

The other girls gave a collective gasp. "The nightshade?" wailed Elizabeth, "You mean, like, related to the belladonna, pricklyburr and mandrakes? They're poisonous!"

"Yes, the belladonna, pricklyburr and mandrake are part of the nightshade family. But so are potatoes, tomatoes and capsicum," Ella responded.

With a pensive expression, Mitsuha added, "The hozuki and wolfberry, I've read, are also part of the nightshade family. So, not all plants in the nightshade family are poisonous or inedible."

As at 11 February 2017

"Indeed," Ella patiently continued, "But that's not how it was seen long ago. Well, we should begin at the beginning, I suppose. The aubergine originated from the Indian subcontinent and was cultivated by the Chinese as early as 500 BC. It was then introduced by the Arabs to Africa in the Middle Ages. So the aubergine had long been part of the cuisines of the Chinese, Arabs and Africans.

"It was introduced to Italy around the 13th or 14th century. I'm not sure when it was introduced to England, but it was recorded in a 16th century botany book. But because it is a species of nightshade, the Europeans generally believed the aubergine was poisonous and it was mostly seen as an ornamental plant. As Hinata said earlier, the Italians called it "mala insana", Italian for "mad apple", because they believed it caused insanity. "

As at 16 February 2017 (left) and 19 February 2017 (right)

Akihiko cut in, "But that's just the British and Italians, right? I mean, the French and Americans eat it too."

"Well, historically, the French weren't much better," Hinata replied. "King Louis VIX introduced the aubergine in the 1600s. But the poor aubergine did not go down well with French eyes and stomachs. They thought the aubergine caused fever, epilepsy and (also) insanity too!

"As for the Americans, when Thomas Jefferson introduced it to the US, the Americans were also reluctant to accept it because of its nightshade relation. It wasn't until the arrival of Chinese and Italian immigrants in the late 1800s, with their cuisines, that the aubergine began to receive widespread acceptance in the US."

As at 21 February 2017 (left) and 22 February 2017 (right)

Hinata concluded, "In actual fact, the aubergine has a range of health benefits; it is a rich source of vitamins B and C, and has natural antioxidants! Plus, it's a great source of dietary fibre and has no cholesterol or saturated fat! Don't you think the poor aubergine deserves some respect after its sad history?"

She then stood up, picked up the aubergine she had picked, and headed to the kitchen to prepare moussaka and baba ganoush.