The plant grows as a small tree or woody vine and produces a fleshy berry with small edible seeds. The seeds (and indeed much of the fruit itself) can be bitter due to the presence of nicotinoid alkaloids, which are often found in Solanaceae (Nightshade family) plants like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and tobacco. The plant is native to India, and has appeared in the written record since 544 CE. Surprisingly, it was unknown to the Western world until about 1500 CE, and even then was not used widely due to concerns of the plant's toxicity, being a relative of nightshade. In British English the fruit is referred to as an "aubergine", whose origin can be traced through French, Catalan, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. In the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the fruit is called an "eggplant" due to the appearance of some cultivars in 18th century England, which were yellow or white and resembled goose eggs. Today there are many varieties of different sizes, shapes, and colors, though the most common in the US are elongate ovoids with dark purple skin.

Eudicots; Asterids; Solanales; Solanaceae; Solanum melongena

The plant is used in cuisine around the globe, from Japan and India to Spain and Turkey. The fleshy part of the berry is able to absorb large amounts of fats and liquids, making it an ideal addition to sauces. Though the plant can be bitter, this can be alleviated by salting and rinsing the sliced fruit, and some cultivars are not bitter at all. The thin leathery skin is also edible, so peeling is not required. The plant could help with high blood pressure and free radical formation, and is a good source of folic acid and potassium. It has more nicotine than any other edible plant, though 20 pounds of eggplant would have to be eaten to match that in one cigarette.