Does anyone know what the nutritional benefits of eggplant are? I use it a lot in cooking, but it seems to be mostly water. Apart from the fibre that must go along with that thick skin, are there any vitamins, minerals...?

Hi Simba,

You are right, eggplant is mostly water. About 90% of the fruit is water. Yes, eggplant is a fruit!

Eggplant is actually a good source of potassium, vitamin C and beta carotene. Marinated in a brown sugar rub and grilled on the barbeque, this fruit can taste heavenly!

So you cook lots of eggplant, do share some yummy recipes!

i gotta admit - eggplant is my least favorite vegetable (now i know it's actually a fruit!). unless it's grilled, i found it really mushy.....

Thanks! Usually I just add eggplant, cut into cubes, to whatever it is I'm cooking, like stir fry. It tends to soak up other flavours, sort of like tofu (but obviously a very different texture). I also adore it grilled, just lightly marinated in olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. It's also quite nice cut into circular slices on a sheet in the oven, coated with a little fresh tomato sauce (or even crushed tomatoes with a bit of olive oil). I'm not a big fan of more elaborate eggplant dishes, especially eggplant parmigiana, because it's covered with batter or cheese or whatever and you can barely tell you're even eating eggplant anymore!