• Eggplants aren’t really vegetables, they’re berries. Which isn’t that strange, considering other fruits are commonly mistaken for vegetables. • Eggplants and tomatoes are actually related. They both belong to the nightshade family with the famous literary poison – deadly nightshade. But don’t worry, eggplant isn’t toxic (at least not in normal amounts). • Some varieties of eggplant produce white, lavender, green or red-striped fruit that can be elongated, rounded or pea-shaped. • You may not immediately recognize eggplant on a menu abroad. Its many names include: Brinjal (India), Berenjena (Spanish), Eggplant (US English), Patlican (Turkish) and Melanzana (Italian). • The eggplant consists of 95% water and 50% of the volume is air!