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Eggplant belongs to the same family as tomato, pepper, and potato. It usually has a elongated body, but there are also very thin eggplants. The most commonly sold ones are purple or striped. Its flesh is white or cream-colored with seeds inside. Due to its mild flavor, it has many culinary uses and we can enjoy a multitude of recipes. It should never be consumed raw due to a substance it contains called solanine. This substance disappears when cooked. Properties and benefits: Water, the main component of eggplant. It has a high potassium and folic acid content. It is a light and highly digestible food. Its low carbohydrate and high fiber content help control blood sugar. It is very diuretic as it contains a lot of potassium and very little sodium. Its dark color comes from pigments that make it a powerful antioxidant. It improves circulation and helps reduce cholesterol. Its composition also highlights its content of vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, and folates. Nutritional value per 100g: Water: 92.2 grams Calcium: 10 mg Potassium: 262 mg Phosphorus: 21 mg Storage and tips: You should store eggplants in the refrigerator where they will last approximately one week, but avoid excessive cold. If you want to prevent them from releasing water, you should slice them, add salt, and let them rest for a maximum of 12 hours. Then you should dry them well and they will be ready to cook. And if you want to remove the bitterness it has, soaking them in a bowl of cold water with a little salt for 15 minutes will make that bitterness disappear. Recipe and uses in the kitchen: The most popular and cooked form of eggplant is stuffed eggplant, but today we will tell you how to make them without meat, making a vegetarian bolognese. For this, you will need textured soy protein, which should be soaked for 10 minutes. In that time, you can roast the eggplants and then remove the flesh. In a pan, cook the soy with tomato sauce and also add the eggplant flesh. With that vegan bolognese, you can fill your eggplants. And to finish, sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts on top. Put them in the oven with cheese on top and they will be ready to eat.