Aubergine

An aubergine is a large, glossy fruit of the nightshade family, cooked as a vegetable. In the UK it takes its French name; in the US, Canada and Australia it is an eggplant, and in South Asian recipes it is often brinjal.

The common supermarket kind is dark purple, long and pear-shaped, with pale, spongy flesh. You will also find small round ones, long thin ones and white or striped varieties. They all cook the same way, though the smaller ones have fewer seeds and thinner skins.

The spongy flesh soaks up oil, so recipes either brush slices lightly before grilling or roasting, or cook them slowly until the flesh collapses and gives the oil back. Cooked through, the inside turns soft and creamy, which is what makes baba ganoush, moussaka, parmigiana and Sichuan fish-fragrant aubergine work. Undercooked, it stays squeaky and bitter, so err on the side of longer.

Choose aubergines that feel heavy for their size, with tight, shiny skin and a green stalk. Store them somewhere cool and use them within a few days.

A recipe written for eggplant needs no change: it is the same thing.