Plant histories
The history behind a number of crop plants.
Looking at where they originated, their domestication, the introduction of these crops to Europe, how European attitudes to them changed over the centuries and ultimately how our changing demands have influenced the plants themselves.
Wild eggplants
As with many of today’s kitchen vegetables, the wild varieties of eggplant look very different from the varieties that are commonly available in our food markets. The fruits on wild eggplants are small (ranging from pea-size to baseball-size), yellow in colour, and taste very bitter. The stem of the plant can also be very spiny.
Wild varieties grow in India, Africa and southeast Asia and most botanists have believed that eggplant originated in India. However, some botanists think that a plant originated in southeast Asia because there are more varieties of eggplant found there than anywhere else.
Wild eggplant varieties are very bitter – almost inedible – and interestingly nearly all wild eggplants seem to be resistant to the pests and diseases that commonly affect domesticated varieties. This may be because bugs and insects choose to stay well clear of something that contains so many bitter compounds.
Read on for more information about how farmed eggplants have changed and the ongoing challenges for plant breeders.
