Related to both potatoes and tomatoes, the eggplant is a fruit and specifically a berry, not a vegetable. Most popular in the cuisines of the Mediterranean, Asia, and India, eggplants come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes, but the most typical example is the long dark purple eggplant that weighs about a pound. Because eggplants are prone to absorbing oil, try roasting, broiling, baking, or steaming rather than frying them. Salting sliced pieces of eggplant and “sweating” out the juices before cooking them will change the texture but won’t remove bitterness.