AUBERGINES 
Aubergines are the fruits of Solanum Melongena, the Egg- 
plant or Brinjal, an annual, cultivated in the warmer regions 
of the globe before the Middle Ages, but supposed to have had 
its origin in India or Arabia. Modern travellers have found 
it cultivated in the Nile Valley and on the coast of Guinea. 
The fruits are highly esteemed in many countries, but they 
have only recently found favour in the British Islands for 
table use. They are eaten either raw or cooked, in the same 
way as Tomatoes. There are many varieties, their colour 
ranging from white to black-purple, whilst in shape and size 
they also vary considerably, the largest being from six to 
eight inches long and two to three inches in diameter. One 
called ovigerum has fruits exactly the same shape and colour 
as a hen’s egg; its fruits are not fit to eat, but it is often 
grown in England as a decorative plant. 
