2007-01-01 16:03:10 · 3 answers · asked by TheSuccessShop 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Vegetarian & Vegan
The aubergine, eggplant, or brinjal (Solanum melongena) is a solanaceous plant bearing a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. It is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to southern India and Sri Lanka.
2007-01-01 16:13:55 · answer #1 · answered by Steve G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This name is developed from the fact that the fruits/vegetables of some 18th-century European cultivators were yellow or white and resembled goose or hen's eggs. Since eggplant grown in India and elsewhere in Asia closely resemble a hen's egg in both size and shape, hence the name.
2007-01-02 09:56:46 · answer #2 · answered by Latitude 360 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hadn't heard it called Brinjal before.
It's because before it was domesticated and hybridized, the fruits were small, white, and oval shaped. They looked like eggs, and even though they look like big purple lightbulbs now, we still call them eggplant.
2007-01-02 00:12:28 · answer #3 · answered by Emmy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋