The national vegetable of India is brinjal, which is known to many people as eggplant or aubergine. This edible vegetable (well, botanically it is a fruit) has been used in Indian cooking for generations. Eagle’s popularly called brinjal and scientifically known as Solomon melongena is a nightshade family grown in South Asian regions.
It is identified by its oval fruit which maybe white n purple depending on the type of plant it is. Dried the fruit’s pulp is hard and bitter, but when cooked it will become soft and sweet. Brinjal is cultivated throughout the country, with significant production in states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
Brinjal forms a delicious ingredient in a variety of curries and delicacies and a popular vegetable in India recipes. In South India it forms part of most recipes and is used in sambar, a type of lentil-based vegetable stew, and rasam, which is a type of soup. Some of other dishes which are made with brinjal are Baingan Bharta, which is brinjal mashed up, and Fry Brinjal which is made of brinjal slices fried to crisp.
Brinjal is an extremely rich source of vitamins, minerals and belongs to the group of vegetables with rich antioxidant characteristics. It has Vitamin C, potassium and fiber content in it. Furthermore, Brinjal consists of other antioxidant chemicals like the phytochemicals anthocyanins that have numerous impacts to the general health such as the improvement of the functions of the heart and the reduction of the cases of inflammation.
Apart from its culinary uses, brinjal has cultural values in India. In most cases, it is deemed to mark a symbol of luck and prosperity, and at times incorporated in ceremonial rites. The nutrients found in brinjal are vitamin c, potassium and fiber among others. It low in calories therefore it can be consumed by anyone including children, adolescents and even the elderly. It is very versatile and is incorporated in cooking in basically every way, shape or form; it can be cooked in curries and stews, mashed in chutneys and pickles. It also finds application widely in vegetarian and vegan recipes.
It is celebrated on the 15th of August in India where the national vegetable of India which is the brinjal is honored for its significance in the Indian radar and for confinement in Indian recipes. To sum up, the brinjal is an exceptionally useful fruit for cooking that has found its place in the Indian kitchen and people’s hearts for many generations. Saxena & Saxena, (2003) described it as satisfactorily unique in taste, used in various ways and possessed of nutritive value as sufficient reason why it should be honored as the national vegetable of India.
