What Type of Fruit is This 🍆?
That's an eggplant! While often used as a vegetable in cooking, the eggplant (also known as aubergine, melongene, brinjal, or guinea squash) is botanically classified as a fruit.
Many people mistake eggplants for vegetables because of their savory culinary uses. However, the botanical definition of a fruit differs from its culinary use. A fruit develops from the flower of a plant and contains seeds. Eggplants perfectly fit this description. In fact, some botanists even classify eggplants as a type of berry.
- Botanical Classification: Eggplants belong to the Solanaceae family, which also includes tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes—many of which are also botanically fruits.
- Culinary Use: Despite its botanical classification, eggplant is predominantly used as a vegetable in various cuisines worldwide due to its savory flavor profile and texture when cooked.
- Nutritional Profile: Although relatively low in macronutrients and micronutrients, eggplant absorbs oils and flavors readily during cooking, making it a versatile ingredient.
The confusion arises because we often categorize foods based on their culinary applications rather than their botanical origins. Eggplant's savory flavor and typical culinary uses lead to its common misclassification as a vegetable.
Several sources confirm this:
- Wikipedia: Describes eggplant as a fruit with a low nutrient content but high ability to absorb flavors.
- Jacksonville.com: Reinforces that eggplant is a fruit from the Solanaceae family, grown for its fleshy fruit.
- World Cancer Research Fund: Includes eggplant in its list of fruits.
- Business Insider: Explicitly states that eggplant is a fruit, specifically a berry.
Despite its culinary usage as a vegetable, the undeniable fact remains: an eggplant is a fruit.
