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Italian Eggplant Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to Italian eggplant
Eggplant, also known as aubergine, first originated in India and is often treated as a vegetable, even though it is technically a fruit, similar to zucchini, cucumber, or squash. Unlike those vine fruits, however, eggplants hang as they grow from broad, short, branching plants, similar to peppers. Eggplant is famous in almost every culture's cuisine for its fleshy and meaty texture, which makes it ideal in recipes like eggplant parmesan.
Enter the Italian eggplant: a common, diminutive variety used in baking, sauteing, and all sorts of Sicilian recipes. Let's explore everything you need to know about this purple fruit, and when you're ready, order all the Italian eggplants and eggplant food products you need through Instacart!
About Italian eggplant
Italian eggplant is a dark purple variety. It is sweeter and more delicate compared to the common American eggplant. Due to their small size of four to eight inches, they are commonly used in recipes that involve roasting and stuffing, or recipes where the actual eggplant flavor is the star of the show. Their size makes them convenient if you want to avoid leftovers. They're also useful if you need eggplant skin, since the smaller the fruit, the more skin you get per pound.
As anyone may expect, Italian eggplant is heavily used in Italian recipes. They have a thick and spongy texture when cooked that can hold up to breading, sauce, and cooking. Best of all, they are available all year round, although their peak season is July to October.
How to pick out Italian eggplant
Eggplant can be tricky to ripen after being harvested, and overripe fruits are not ideal. Therefore, the best thing you can do is pick those that were optimally ripe or nearly there upon harvesting, and are still in that state when you use them.
Here are a few more tips:
- Always look for eggplants with shiny skin and uniform color, dark purple in the case of Italian eggplants. Dull skin means that the eggplant may have been picked a while ago. Greenness from the stem or broad ends means it wasn't picked when fully ripe (though this is rarely seen in stores).
- Ensure there are no blemishes and cuts, as these may encourage the fruit to lose moisture and spoil much faster.
- The flesh underneath the skin should be soft, but the skin itself should be tight and protective. If you squeeze-test an Italian eggplant, the stiffness of a cucumber means it is unripe, but the softness of a ripened plum means it is overripe.
- Try to avoid Italian eggplants that feel light for their size. Much of an eggplant's weight is water, and they lose that water as they overripen.
Whatever you need Italian eggplant or eggplant products for, why not take all the guesswork out and just get it delivered the same day? The Instacart app lets you state your requirements and get exactly what you need delivered to your doorstep in as little as 2 hours!
How to store Italian eggplant
For the best possible flavor, it's best to buy raw Italian eggplants in their most ready and optimally ripe state and then use them that day. In case they do need to be stored, however, whole Italian eggplants will stay fresh in a refrigerator for three to four days. Also, they can keep a little longer in a room-temperature or slightly cool (not refrigerated) environment, out of direct light.
Italian Eggplant Near Me
Buy your favorite Italian Eggplant online with Instacart. Order Italian Eggplant from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about Italian eggplant
Yes, all eggplants contain enzymes that oxidize and darken the flesh when exposed to air, just like sliced apples. It is not harmful, but if you don't care for the color, darkening can be avoided by eating, cooking, or using the eggplant as soon as it is sliced.
Absolutely. Eggplants have very little sugar but are savory enough to use as a substitute for cheese, meat, and more, depending on the recipe. Their flesh, and their skin even more so, is loaded with fiber, which can help you feel full.
Looking past weight loss, eggplants are very healthy in general, particularly their skin, which contains cancer-fighting antioxidants called anthocyanins. Plus, with a smaller eggplant variety like Italian, you're getting a bit more of that nutritious skin per pound.
Yes, and they're almost as healthy as the skin! In fresh eggplant, the seeds are tiny, packed with nutrients, and barely noticeable (especially with Italian eggplants). They're not an issue for smooth dips, like baba ganoush. If, on the other hand, the fruit is a bit older, the seeds will be bigger, slightly tougher, and more noticeable while eating.