Types of Eggplants: [Names, List and Characteristics]

Eggplant is a very versatile vegetable. Native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times in India, China and Burma, with evidence dating back to 800 BC.

Today, both China and India are the world leaders in production.

Its scientific name is Solanum melongena , which gives its name to the most common and well-known type of eggplant. It belongs to the Solanaceae family , which also includes tomatoes, peppers and potatoes .

Next we are going to show you the most famous varieties of aubergines that we can find

   

Main characteristics of aubergines

It is a very generous herbaceous plant in production, with a presence on all continents. It is a multi-year crop. It manages to keep for more than a year because it can easily re-sprout, as it has a powerful root system.

It is slow-growing, with a woody tree , with spiny and branched stems, that reaches an average of 2 to 2.5 meters in height.

Its leaves are large, with lobed ends and a downy or velvety texture on the underside. Some have some spines on the midrib of the leaf.

Its fruit is a fleshy berry of various shapes such as cylindrical, ovoid and even almost spherical, with a green calyx in some Italian varieties. The colors are also diverse, ranging from white, mottled white to purple, violet, black. It weighs between 200 to 300 grams.

The typical black purple color that characterizes most aubergines, is produced as a result of a water-soluble flavonoid pigment that lavishes that red, bluish- purple coloration in some vegetables and fruits.

It has a small brownish seed .

Next we are going to show you the most famous varieties of aubergines that we can find

 

Main varieties of aubergines

But let’s see what are the most popular or known types of aubergines around the world.

According to morphological traits, the following varieties of aubergines are the most common.

Variety of striped aubergine

These are fruits with an intermediate length and colorations that go from white to violet tones, coming from late plants in the beginning of production, which, however, are usually quite abundant.

In the market there are a variety of listed hybrids , the best known cultivars being called Banderas, Angela or Leire.

Long or elongated type of eggplant

These aubergines are dark purple in color, elongated and weighing approximately 150 to 200 grams. Some of the following cultivars are located.

Long Palermitana

It is a very large variety of aubergine, quite elongated in shape with a very striking dark purple skin . It has a fleshy pulp, with a delicate flavor but with a spicy touch that differentiates it from the others, especially when cooking.

 

Early Dwarf Violet

The plant of this variety produces fruits very early, with a rounded shape at its tip and a shiny, not smooth, light purple skin.

Long black eggplant

It is a very productive cultivar, which produces deep purple aubergines of about 25 centimeters.

Very early purple long aubergine

It is another very productive variety, which gives many fruits with elongated purple nuts.

Reminisce

It is of early production, with quite elongated fruits of a darker purple color and a totally smooth surface.

 

Morella Eggplant

It is a type of eggplant that bears many fruits and whose plant reaches a height higher than the average, estimated at about 70 to 80 centimeters.

They are elongated and cylindrical at the same time, with an estimated dimension of about 22 to 24 centimeters in length and about 6 in width.

Eggplant Mary

It is a variety with a plant of great vigor, which can also grow up to 80 centimeters from which elongated and cylindrical pendant fruits emanate.

It has a deep green glass and its shell is purple and very dark. The pulp is a very white and tender mango.

Round aubergine type

The most common are those of the Bonica cultivar, a type of plant that is very productive and adaptable in winter growing periods capable of generating early productions.

The rounded ones usually have an approximate weight of between 250 to 400 grams, although there are some that reach up to 1 kilogram.

Some rounded varieties are:

Common round of Florence

It is a round aubergine with very tender flesh and a compact, light purple skin. It comes with few seeds and is not bitter.

Black Beaty or Black Beauty

It has a rounded shape, a shiny, very dark purple rind, with a compact pulp, almost seedless and with a very low bitter taste.

 

Sabelle RZ F1

It produces rounded fruits with a bright purple color and dense, very rich pulp.

The plant has a medium-sized crown, with uniform and abundant fruits, as well as a stem with few thorns.

Black round

It is one of the largest and most productive types of round aubergine in plantations. The fruit can reach between 300 to 600 grams of weight.

Its appearance is deep purple. Ideal for gratin dishes.

Round Bianca

It is a plant of high productivity, with a white skin and an exquisite flavor pulp and few seeds.

It is ideal, like the black round , for cooking grilled dishes and gratins.

 

Lilac round eggplant

It is a medium productivity plant. It has a beautiful lilac rind , with a delicate flavor and few seeds.

Eggplant Lety

It is another variety with characteristics similar to the round white aubergine tinged with Pink, but with more marked or intense lilac nuances.

It is of a fairly high productivity, and very early or fast.

Intermediate Eggplant

The fruit is of intermediate size and of a glossy black color, with high productivity crops and new hybrid cultivars that are very versatile because they adapt to conditions in the open field or in a greenhouse system.

Cava, Rima, Diva and Paula are the most widespread cultivars of this botanical classification.

 

There are others of white color belonging to the Clara and Yellow cultivars.

The varieties of aubergines are very, very numerous. There are them of the Sicilian, Italian type, white like the Albino and White Beaty, with smooth white skin. And there are also many Indian varieties, small, a few centimeters long and with an intense purple color and contrasting green calyx.

There are also Japanese aubergines, with the Ichiban cultivar, small, dark purple in color and a very tender skin that does not require peeling.

Finally, the Chinese varieties are usually rounder, have a purple rind and calyx, with a very succulent pulp.