Eggplant, raw

Eggplant has a mild, slightly bitter flavor and a spongy flesh that turns creamy and tender once cooked, which is why it's almost always roasted, grilled, fried, or stewed rather than eaten raw. It's the backbone of dishes like baba ganoush, ratatouille, moussaka, and eggplant parmesan, and it readily soaks up olive oil, garlic, and tomato in Mediterranean cooking or curry pastes and fish sauce in Southeast Asian stir-fries. Salting sliced eggplant before cooking draws out excess moisture and some bitterness, and grilling or broiling it whole until collapsed is a simple way to get smoky, tender flesh for dips.

Choose eggplants that feel firm and heavy for their size with smooth, glossy, unblemished skin and a green stem cap; a soft spot or dull skin usually means it's past its best. Store unwashed eggplant in a cool spot or the refrigerator's crisper drawer and use it within a few days, since it doesn't hold up as well as sturdier vegetables. At just 25 calories per 100 grams with only 3.53 grams of sugar, eggplant is a low-calorie way to bulk up a meal, whether cubed into a vegetable curry, layered into a bake, or grilled as a meat alternative on a plate.