Eggplants contain a large amount of potassium and other minerals, which makes them very useful. However, the popularity of its dishes of eggplant are required primarily to the taste, and not the content of useful substances. Unlike many other vegetables "little blue" have a rich flavor and are so satisfying, that can replace meat.

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Homeland Eggplant - Middle East and South Asia. The Europeans got acquainted with these vegetables only in the XV century, and the cultivation of eggplant, and do that later - in the XIX century. Not surprisingly, most of the dishes of eggplant has Eastern origin, although European chefs gave the world a lot of delicious dishes of these dark purple fruits.

Glossy dark purple fruits are very attractive. The Ukrainians and the inhabitants of the south of Russia is affectionately known as aubergine "little blue", but this is not entirely correct: the eggplant can be of different colors, including yellow, green, striped or milky white. Ripe fruits are brownish or gray shade, but become tasteless, rude. Therefore, the food consumed is usually slightly immature eggplant.

Eggplants contain large amounts of fiber, including soluble. In many of these vegetables nicotinic acid, vitamins Vitamins for everyone   group B, and potassium, which is vital for normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Due to the low caloric content - only 28 calories per 100 grams - eggplant love those who adhere to a weight loss diet. This eggplant is very easy to be satisfied: they even perfectly replace meat, for example, during Lent.

Terms of preparation

Cook eggplant can be a variety of ways: fried, these vegetables are good and stewed, baked and grilled. Eggplant stuffed cease puree, steamed, and, of course, canned. "Little blue" perfectly combined with almost all vegetables, especially tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions and garlic. Good eggplant and in combination with meat, cereals, mushrooms, cheese or tofu, fermented sauces.

To spoil a dish of eggplant is quite difficult. It is only necessary to consider that when fried eggplant can absorb large amounts of oil, so it is best to soak the vegetables before cooking in salt water, fry them in batter or bake on the grill or in the oven. Soaking can also get rid of the bitterness that has some varieties of eggplants.

From spices to perfect eggplant garlic, parsley, oregano, black pepper. In eastern cuisine popular combination of eggplant curry with a spicy sauce. The distinctive taste of the eggplant is good stress and celery greens or cilantro.

Snacks

In most cases, eggplant often served as snacks. "Teschin language", savory rolls from strips of eggplant with cheese and garlic, warm salad of roasted "little blue", flavorful snack cakes - without these fancy and delicious dishes festive table is hard to imagine. Unfortunately, on weekdays eggplants appear on the table a few less - vegetable requires special treatment and special treatment, since there can not be raw eggplant.

At the same time roasting eggplant takes quite a bit of time and requires little or no participation of chefs. Cooking just in time to get the vegetables from the oven, remove the peel and remove the pulp with a spoon, and then season it with oil, cheese, garlic and other ingredients - and a superb warm salad is ready. Biscuits eggplant pulp can be mixed with other vegetables (baked, fried or fresh), thus inventing new delicious. It is also important that many eggplants good as a warm and chilled, which means that they can be harvested for future use.

Main dishes

Eggplant captivate its versatility. They can, without further ado, to apply for a side dish to meat, poultry or fish, and you can prepare yourself with the original taste of the dish. Greek moussaka, eggplant parmesan Italian, French ratatouille or Turkish "Imam bayaldy" - each nation has its favorite dishes of eggplant.

Hot dishes of eggplant, usually baked in the oven. Generally, baking - one of the best ways to prepare this vegetable: the flesh of the eggplant does not absorb too much oil remains soft and fragrant. For example, exceptionally good variety of vegetable casseroles Casseroles. The variety and economy   eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, potatoes with meat or without. Eggplant is very comfortable stuff. The filling may be a traditional meat and vegetarian - a roasted onions, carrots, tomatoes. At the end of cooking stuffed eggplant is often sprinkled with grated cheese that melts and turns into a delicious crust.

Preservation

A variety of salads with canned eggplant will be a real decoration of the table at any time of year, especially in winter and spring, when fresh vegetables in the shops are quite expensive and tasteless. Sandwich with eggplant caviar - a great appetizer Low calorie snacks   for those who do not want to overload the body with unnecessary calories. And in combination with hot toast Eggplant become a spicy, almost festive dish.

Usually canned eggplant mixed with other vegetables - onions, carrots, tomatoes, sweet peppers. Such mixtures are very good with hot mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. You can eat them as a snack with bread, or add, for example, to the stew during cooking.

There are many recipes for marinated or pickled eggplant without the addition of other vegetables. Interestingly, these blanks are often pronounced mushroom taste: many enterprising housewives add them to salads or served as a snack instead of the usual pickled fungi.

Maria Bykov

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