Take paper and pencil to write down the answers you give to each of the 8 questions and find out how well you know the dominant and "medicinal" vegetable of the summer, the eggplant.
1. What are the names of the two toxic substances that make eggplant bitter?
A) Nicotine and solanine
B) Solanine and bisphenol A
C) Bisphenol A and solanine
2. What does the delicious Turkish food of Imam Baildi mean?
A) "The Imam woke up"
B) "The imam fainted"
C) "The Imam slept"
3. The first use of eggplant was probably
A) Cooking
B) Pharmaceutical
C) Decorative
4. What is the name of the antioxidant substance found in eggplant peel?
A) Vitamin A.
B) Nasunin
C) Tryptophan
5. In which country was eggplant first grown?
A) Turkey
B) America
C) China
6. We can peel the aubergines by adding
A) Salt
B) Lemon
C) Vinegar
7. With what other 3 plants is the eggplant related?
A) Tomato, potato and onion
B) Zucchini, pepper and potato
C) Potato, peppers and tomatoes
8. Eggplant contains phenols such as
A) Chlorogenic and ellagic acid
B) Allagic and caffeic acid
C) Chlorogenic and caffeic acid
Correct answers
1. Α
Nicotine and solanine are two toxic substances that make eggplant bitter. But in addition to eggplant, the toxic substance solanine is found in potatoes and tomatoes.
2. Β
Imam Baildi literally means "the Imam fainted", because according to legend, an imam lost consciousness because he was struck by the aroma of cooked eggplant.
3. Β
For many years eggplant was used as a medicinal plant. They used its leaves as a poultice for hemorrhoids, burns, monks and inflammations. The first use of eggplant was not culinary as its flesh still has a strong bitter taste today.
4. Β
Nasunin is a flavonoid substance, which protects lipids in cell membranes, as it prevents the negative effects of free radicals on cells.
5. Γ
Eggplant originates from India but was first cultivated in China.
6. Α
To remove the bitter liquid of the aubergines, cut them to the size we want, salt them or put them in a bowl with salted water and leave them for half to an hour. Then rinse them and wipe them well with absorbent paper.
7. Γ
Eggplant is a herbaceous, perennial plant of the genus Strychnon of the family Strychnoids and is related to the potato, tomato and pepper.
8. Γ
Chlorogenic and caffeic acid are considered to be the most powerful antioxidants in eggplant as they destroy free radicals, while at the same time they have anti-cancer and antimicrobial properties and reduce "bad" cholesterol (LDL).