Eggplants

/ˈɛɡˌplænts/ noun

Definition

Plural of eggplant; multiple plants or fruits of a vegetable species that produces large, typically purple, glossy fruits.

Etymology

From 'egg' + 'plant', named for the early white or pale fruit varieties that resembled eggs before the purple varieties became dominant. The term stuck even as the fruit diversified.

Kelly Says

Eggplants are actually berries botanically, and originated in India—Europeans named them for their egg-like appearance but initially thought them poisonous until Italian and Spanish cooks proved them delicious in the 1600s.

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