Eggplant - Solanum melongena - belongs to the Solanaceae family and the Solanaceae tribe. The Solanum genus comprises some 1,700 known species. It is native to India, and its origins must be quite remote, since there are several names for it in Sanskrit and many more in Bengali, Hindi and other Indian languages. In India, it's called "brinjal". It has also long been cultivated in China, the Near East and Africa. Colored black, purple, pink, white or green, and round or elongated in shape, there are many different varieties. Their skin contains anti-oxidants, so don't peel them to take advantage of their benefits. Eggplant is also a source of vitamin C, B1, B6, copper and manganese.