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How well do you know your eggplants or aubergines? Many people are familiar with the large purple globe eggplant, but what about dinky Thai eggplants, or even striking white eggplants? Different types of cooking call for different types of aubergine, and knowing a little about the different kinds of aubergine available can make your dish all the more delicious.
To help guide you, we've put together an infographic highlighting eight different kinds of eggplant, including those you may not be so familiar with. We highlight their key characteristics to help you spot them, plus the best ways to eat them.
Try starting with our 14 simple eggplant recipes.
Different types of eggplant
American eggplant
Deep purple and teardrop-shaped American or globe eggplants are among the largest and most commonly found eggplants. Their culinary versatility means they're perfect for any number of dishes, from slicing and grilling, to roasting whole and stuffing.
Sicilian eggplant
Parmigiana, Pasta alla Norma and caponata are just a few of the beloved Sicilian dishes starring the flavoursome, rotund, dark purple and sun-soaked Sicilian eggplant.
Fairy tale eggplant
These popular, small, purple and white streaked eggplants are almost too good to be true - in fact, much of their appeal lies in their tender and creamy flesh, with no bitter seeds to worry about.
Chinese eggplant
Chinese eggplants, also known as Japanese eggplants, are long, slender and mild, and great for frying or pickling.
Italian eggplant
These large, dark purple, teardrop-shaped eggplants are slightly smaller than American eggplants, but make up for that in sweetness. Italian cooking is full of eggplant-based recipes championing this variety, like eggplant Parmesan.
Japanese eggplant
Long, thin and deeply-coloured Japanese (or Chinese) eggplants lend themselves to stir-frying in big chunks like spicy szechuan aubergine stir-fry.
Thai eggplant
The diminutive, crunchy-textured and slightly bitter Thai eggplants are commonly found in green and red Thai curry where they add texture and absorb the flavours of rich and fragrant sauces.
White eggplant
White eggplants might stand out from their cousins for their striking colour difference, but their flavour is akin to most eggplants, meaning they can be used in the same way as an American eggplant.
Little green eggplant
Mild, sweet and earthy-flavoured, little green eggplants can come in various sizes but are easily recognisable for their colour profile: from light green, to dark green, to green with speckled white patches. Thanks to their positive flavour attributes they're also great for cooking with and work well with any number of spices and herbs.
Rosa Bianca eggplant
Purple and white bulbous Rosa Bianca eggplants have a slightly more delicate flavour and less bitter tendencies than their purple cousins, and lend themselves to any number of recipes.
See the infographic below for more kinds of eggplants and how to use them:
