Eggplant: A Trip Back to the Middle East

Growing up, we never had Eggplant.  Never really knew what it was. So when I saw it in the grocery store, produce section.  I said to myself, what the heck is that.  

My thoughts on Eggplant are this, it's an acquired taste.  I never had tasted Eggplant until I was in my 30's. Then, at a street cafe in Tel Aviv, Israel, they brought me an appetizer plate that included Baba Ganoush. Which is nothing more than Hummus with Eggplant instead of chickpeas.  

Eggplant is a staple in Greece, the middle east, and India.  In Germany, Greek restaurants are just like Mexican Restaurants; they are everywhere, and so are Moussaka and Eggplant.  I ordered Moussaka a few times, which is an upside-down greek casserole made with Eggplant.  It was delicious; my first thoughts were, man, look at what I have been missing. 

This was when I developed a taste for this exotic vegetable.  I have made Moussaka and eggplant lasagna.  Eggplant brings back memories of travel throughout the Middle East. There was that Eggplant salad on the hotel buffet in Kuwait City. In Afghanistan, our Indians that I worked with used it in many dishes.

This summer, we had a friend bring us over 10 eggplants.   When she brought these over, my first reaction was, what the heck am I going to do with all this Egg Plant.  Well, I wanted to let you know I figured it out. I'm going to use 3 small ones to make Baba Ganoush.  Baba is nothing more than Hummus made with Eggplant instead of chickpeas. So tomorrow it's eggplant lasagna.  I made two; one went into the freezer.