Small ones are usually pickled, tiny ones are used in fine cuisine � they�re expensive � and some varieties grow to 30 centimeters in length.

Eggplants also come in a range of colors, and their export destination often depends on their looks. In the Spanish regions of Murcia and Almeria, farmers grow purple ones for Germany, while blue, rough-skinned ones go to Madrid and white ones are exported to France.

When buying eggplants make sure the flesh is smooth, the skin is uniform, smooth and shiny and the stem is firmly attached. If it is loose are about to fall off, it means the eggplant was picked too late and is no good any more.
The custom of growing and eating eggplants in Europe is based mainly in the Mediterranean basin. And while their nutritional value is low, they are a culinary treasure because of their intense flavor.

There are endless recipes calling for eggplant. Remember that when cooking eggplants you should salt them 5 to 10 minutes beforehand so they expel their excess water. Sometimes it is a good idea to remove the skin because of its pungent flavor, although in some dishes the skin is left on for precisely that reason.

Some well-known recipes, some of them from Turkey, call for eggplant skin. A lot of people eat the skin because they like that characteristic flavor.

Eggplants can be baked or fried. Baking gives a mild flavor, while frying brings out more of the taste. Cut the eggplant in half, salt 10 minutes before cooking and place them in the oven or in hot oil. Once they cool, scoop out the flesh. You can make a stuffing of ground meat, such as the leftovers from a roast lamb, for instance, eggplant flesh, b�chamel sauce, salt, pepper and aromatic herbs. Put the stuffing back in the shells and glaze the eggplants in the oven.

Another way to prepare them is in a salad of roast eggplant, which is the Sephardic way of saying pur�ed eggplant. The recipe is simple: roast some eggplants, scoop out the flesh and beat it with olive oil, spices and a dash of lemon.

Eggplants can also be eaten raw, pickled or in a salad, as cited by Alexandre Dumas in his dictionary of cooking. In this case, cut the eggplant in slices, add salt, vinegar and a little bit of garlic and let them sit for a few hours. Later, remove the water and prepare the salad.�

The dish known as musaka, made with ground meat or tuna in pickled sauce is delicious, as are fried eggplants and rolls with meat, fish, rice or whatever tickles your fancy. These are all real gastronomic treats. Fried eggplant flesh is also good for preparing the stuffing of sea bass in puff pastry, or stuffing for roast quail with red peppers, or for chicken with white sausage.

But the most surprising recipe is one that uses eggplant flesh to make a vinaigrette with a bit of paprika. This is added to a salad with 10 ingredients: potatoes, greenbeans, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, red chicory, mil amores, green pepper, onion and apple. And to give it all a Mediterranean touch, add some eggplant flesh cut in small pieces.