Japanese round eggplant has an appealing appearance and is deeply loved by consumers.
A Taiwanese proverb says, "Eat beans until you are old, eat eggplant until you wobble." Eggplant, which is abundant in summer and rich in nutrients, is a health-giving vegetable with great benefits. But the distinctive grassy, raw taste of eggplant keeps many people at a distance. Yet besides the long eggplant, Taiwan also grows the plump, cute "Japanese round eggplant," whose nutritional content is similar to that of the long eggplant and whose appearance is appealing.
"I have observed for several years that many customers who are afraid of eating eggplant, after finishing this miso round eggplant, all say it has no fishy taste and is more acceptable." The proprietress, who has run an izakaya by the Jingmei River for ten years, said that she cuts the round eggplant in half, scores lines into it with a knife, and pours on Japanese miso to soften the eggplant's fishy taste. Because its shape resembles a turtle, she named it "turtle-shell grill," and it is greatly loved by customers.
"Many customers, once they know it is eggplant, shake their heads and do not want to eat it. I always persuade them, give it a try, and sure enough they eat it all up." The proprietress said with a laugh.
Long eggplant and round eggplant taste similar
"Generally speaking, eggplant has a kind of 'fishy taste,' and on this point, the flavor of long eggplant and round eggplant is not very different; but shops mostly prepare round eggplant by gratin or pickling, so the flavor is naturally more appealing." Dai Shun-fa, a researcher at the Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station who has studied eggplant cultivation for 21 years, said that the round eggplant, commonly known as "Japanese eggplant," has firm skin and flesh, and if prepared in the traditional fish-fragrant or simple stir-fried ways, it is harder to eat; splitting it in half and grilling it is a smart and simple method.
Dai Shun-fa observed that Taiwan's current traditional markets and fruit-and-vegetable wholesalers still prefer to buy long eggplant. "Generally, if consumers can buy round eggplant, many get it from special, idealistic small channels. Small farmers, in order to create market differentiation, introduce eye-catching round eggplant to attract consumers' attention."
Cheng Chao-chieh, a farmer who grows round eggplant organically and sets up a stall at farmers' markets in various places, also agrees with Dai Shun-fa: "Based on my stall experience, round eggplant gets a lot of inquiries and sells quite well." From the standpoint of a professional grower, Dai Shun-fa believes that "round eggplant has a better flavor" is merely due to differences in cooking methods, but he affirms that small farmers growing round eggplant can more easily highlight their own characteristics.
