At first glance, you notice the beautiful deep purple color. It looks more like a work of art than a vegetable. The eggplant is regal, I imagine the eggplant being high society in the fruit world.
Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of fruit, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. While the different varieties do range slightly in taste and texture, one can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture.