Eggplant jam: 10 recipes

Eggplant is a dark purple vegetable that people are used to eating in soups, pickles and side dishes. However, few people know about another wonderful dish that can be made from this product. It is a stunning in taste sweetness - eggplant jam.

History

Eggplant or dark nightshade is a vegetable with an ancient and interesting history. For example, its name has Persian roots and means "blue cucumber".

Today, dark nightshade can be found in any vegetable garden, and few people consider this vegetable exotic. Although, in fact, its homeland is distant India, Arab countries, southern Asia and Africa. Eggplant was first brought to Europe only in the early 9th century by Arab merchants. Like many other overseas products, it was not immediately accepted on the table by Europeans. Tasting the vegetable raw, people found it tasteless and bitter.

For a long time eggplant was exotic and appeared only on the tables of distinguished citizens, where skilled chefs made delicacies of it. It was also used by pharmacists at the time to prepare medicines, not only the vegetable itself, but also its leaves. Eggplant was considered an effective remedy for toothache, gout and migraine.

In some countries, eggplant was considered to have witchcraft powers. Dark nightshades were used for rituals, charms, and divination. And representatives of the church admonished to stay away from the purple vegetable.

Eggplant did not begin to be cultivated on a large scale in European countries until the 15th and 16th centuries, but dark nightshade came into general use closer to the beginning of the 18th century. Eggplant jam was first cooked in Armenia. To this day, this dessert is an important part of the national cuisine of that country.

Composition and calories

Eggplant has a rich chemical composition:

1. Folic acid (0.8 mcg per 100 g of eggplant), a vitamin responsible for the nervous system and hematopoiesis.
2. Potassium and magnesium (9 µg and 15 mg per 100 g of eggplant, respectively) are mineral elements that support heart and vascular function. They are responsible for the nervous system and have a calming effect on the body.
3. Dietary fiber and fiber (3 g) - non-digestible components that clean the intestines from accumulated toxins, remove "excess" liquid and salt from the body.
4. Silicon (29 micrograms) - a chemical that regulates the kidneys and the urinary system. It clears the tubules, eliminates possible stagnation, removes sand.
5. B vitamins (10 mcg) will improve blood circulation in organs and tissues, thereby saturating them with oxygen and useful substances. Vitamins regulate metabolism and speed up the metabolism.
6. Vitamin C (4.5 mcg) is responsible for the immune system and improves overall health. In addition, it supports the acid balance in the body.
7. Vitamin K (3.5 mcg) strengthens the walls of blood vessels, is the prevention of strokes and heart attacks, and normalizes blood clotting.
8. Iron (0.4 micrograms) is the main component of hemoglobin, which supplies all tissues with oxygen.
9. Copper (135 micrograms) is an important element for the normal functioning of the female reproductive system. It normalizes the synthesis of sex hormones - estrogen, is involved in the formation of the endometrium and stimulates ovulation.
10. Iodine (2.6 micrograms) regulates the thyroid gland, is involved in metabolism and brain function.

100 g of raw eggplant contains 1.5 g of protein, 5 g of carbohydrates and 0.1 g of fat. More than 90% of dark nightshade consists of water, thanks to which it is very often used for weight loss. The caloric value of eggplant is 24 kcal.

What is useful for eggplant jam

Dark nightshade jam, like the vegetable itself, has many useful properties. It is characterized by astringent properties that improve digestion. Eggplant candy strengthens the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, restores damaged organ cells, stimulates their regeneration. This dessert helps to digest fatty foods, pork, butter due to the high content of fiber and dietary fiber.

Dark nightshade dessert is simply a must for the elderly. After all, it is not only very tasty, but also useful. A unique property of this jam is the ability to remove cholesterol plaques from the blood vessels, which are very often the cause of heart attacks and strokes, as well as blood circulation and tissue nutrition disorders. A large amount of vitamin K contained in eggplant jam strengthens the walls of blood vessels, protecting them from ruptures. And potassium and magnesium present in the dessert improve heart function and normalize blood pressure.

Dark nightshade candy will also help with pregnancy planning. In the future mother eggplant jam normalizes the hormonal background, improves the blood and urinary system in the father. All this will help to conceive a healthy and happy baby.

If you cook eggplant jam without sugar, you can get an excellent diet product. Not only it will not damage the figure, but also will contribute to a faster weight loss, thanks to the chemicals and dietary fiber it contains.

In the Middle Ages doctors recommended the use of dark nightshades for the treatment and prevention of dental and oral diseases. They have an anti-inflammatory effect and also whiten teeth and strengthen enamel. Made without added sugar, jam has the same properties and will be useful in the complex treatment of cavities, stomatitis, periodontal disease.

Contraindications

Although dark nightshade has many beneficial properties, there are people who will only be harmed by it. These are those who suffer from chronic or acute pancreatitis, acute liver failure, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, who have excised or non-functioning gallbladder.

An allergic reaction to eggplants is quite rare, but it still occurs. Eggplant is also strictly contraindicated to such people.

How to choose eggplants for jam

In order for the jam to turn out really tasty and useful, you need to take care about the quality of the original product. Of course, it is desirable to use eggplants grown in your own garden or bought from farmers, without chemical fertilizers. However, such a possibility is not always there.

For making desserts, small eggplants, about 20-25 centimeters in size, are better suited. As a rule, these are young vegetables, which contain the maximum amount of useful substances, and they also do not have large and hard seeds, spoiling the dish. The taste of the sweet made from them will be as rich and bright as possible.

Selection rules:

1. Choosing vegetables, first of all, you need to pay attention to the skin of the eggplant. It should be about a uniform color, without foreign flecks, spots and dents. Pale casts on the sides of the dark nightshade are acceptable.
2. When pressed lightly, the vegetable should quickly return to its original shape. If the dent does not appear at all, it means that the vegetable is unripe, so the jam from it will not turn out rich and will probably be bitter. And if the dent remains, then the eggplant has already begun to spoil and it is dangerous to eat it.
3. The vegetable should be flat, not wrinkled or curled like a snail. "Shriveled" indicates a lack of liquid in the eggplant, such a product for jam is not suitable.
4. A healthy eggplant has a healthy, natural skin, but not a glossy sheen. If the dark nightshade is matte, it indicates a lack of carbohydrates in it. In this case, the dark nightshade is likely to have a bitter taste. If the sheen, on the contrary - too strong and bright, it means that the vegetable has been chemically treated, which can be harmful to human health.
5. When choosing an eggplant for jam, you should also pay attention to the tail of the vegetable. Fresh, young dark nightshade should have a green color, elastic and fleshy. If the sprout is withered, brown in color, this indicates that the eggplant is not fresh and has been stored somewhere for a long time. During this time the vegetable has lost some of its useful properties, so it is undesirable to use it.

After buying eggplants you need to wash them with baking soda or a special detergent for fruits and vegetables. This action will help to remove residues of fertilizers and other traces of chemical treatment and make the dark nightshade ready for cooking. If the quality of purchased vegetables is questionable, you should cut the eggplant into several pieces and soak them in salted water for several hours, and then rinse them again with running water. Soaking will draw out their bitterness and make them tastier and safer for making desserts.

Eggplant combinations

You can make eggplant jam even more delicious by adding other foods to it. Will improve the taste of dark nightshade such components:

• carrots;
• Walnuts, sesame, almonds, peanuts;
• quince;
• red bell peppers;
• dates;
• apples;
• oranges, lemons;
• physalis; grape tomato;
• prunes, figs;
• gooseberries;
• lingonberries, blueberries.

Do not experiment:

• with pears;
• red, black and white currants;
• apricots, peaches and apricots;
• pistachios, sunflower seeds and flax seeds;
• grapefruit, lime;
• grapes, raisins;
• Beets, turnips, and other root vegetables (except carrots);
• Strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries;
• bananas.

You can add spices to eggplant jam: red chili pepper, paprika, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, vanilla, mint, melissa.

It is worth to give free rein to your imagination, and you can get a unique jam.

How to boil eggplant jam: recipes

There are a great many ways to make sweetness from the dark nightshade. Here are just a few of them.

Recipe 1

1. Wash two or three small dark nightshades and peel them, if desired. The jam from peeled vegetables will turn out more tender, with the peel - more intense.
2. Cut the eggplant into small slices or cubes, place in a deep pan and pour clean water. Boil, then drain the liquid and rinse the dark nightshades. Repeat the action 2-3 times. Eggplant should become soft and darken slightly.
3. In another saucepan, make a syrup of a cup of water and two cups of sugar. Cook over low heat with constant stirring for 7-10 minutes, then put in the prepared eggplants, a teaspoon of citric acid or two tablespoons of lemon juice, the same amount of ground cloves, a pinch of cinnamon and red pepper. Constantly stirring, cook for 20-30 minutes.

Spread the finished jam in pre-sterilized jars, cover with lids. The jam according to this recipe has a pleasant sweet-spicy taste and a very soft texture.

Recipe 2

1. Two small eggplants, one orange and one red apple peel, cut into cubes. Place all the products in a deep container, then pour steep boiling water over them. Keep for a few minutes, then drain the water.
2. Add to the mixture a cup of sugar, half a cup of toasted sesame seeds, a teaspoon of citric acid, a tablespoon of honey, spices: cinnamon, ginger, red pepper - as desired. Thoroughly mix with a wooden spatula, so as not to damage the structure of vegetables, and leave for an hour to allow them to give juice.
3. Spread the eggplant, orange and apple mixture into the prepared jars. Place them in an oven heated to 180 degrees, keep them there for half an hour. During cooking, do not open the oven, so that the jars do not crack. After the specified time, turn off the heat, take out the jars after an hour, close with a lid.

The taste of the resulting dessert - sweet and sour. Eggplant and fruit complement each other perfectly.

Recipe 3

1. Peel one dark nightshade from the skin, soak it in hot water for half an hour. Rinse quinces from their skins and scald them with boiling water. Then chop on a coarse grater two quinces, one peeled carrot. Cut the eggplant and two red bell peppers into small cubes. Place all the ingredients in a high-tempered pan with two cups of sugar.
2. Cook over a medium heat for about half an hour, stirring constantly. Add a tablespoonful of turmeric, a pinch of vanilla and a teaspoonful of citric acid, stir to mix, cover and leave on the heat for another five minutes.
3. Spread the ready-made jam into pre-presterilized jars.

The resulting dessert will be tart-sweet. Not knowing person will be difficult to guess what exactly is made of this sweetness.

Recipe 4

1. Pass one peeled eggplant, 5-7 dates, 3 figs, 1 apple through a meat grinder. Grind a cup of almonds with a blender on maximum speed for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the first and second mixture, add half a cup of honey and 5 tablets of stevia or other sweetener.
3. On a dry baking tray put baking paper and spread the resulting mass in a thin layer with a spatula. Put for 40 minutes in an oven heated to 100 degrees, cook for 40 minutes, stirring 3-4 times during this time. Then quickly place in prepared jars.

This sweetness from eggplants not only has an amazing taste, but also very useful. It helps to normalize metabolism, lose weight and improve digestion. Its consumption every day will contribute to a significant improvement in health.

Recipe 5

1. Cut five small dark nightshades lengthwise in small strips. Shred the carrots with a Korean-style grater.
2. Prepare a syrup of a glass of orange juice and two cups of sugar, cooking it over low heat for 10 minutes. Dip the carrots and eggplants in the syrup and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add half a cup of lingonberries, a teaspoon of citric acid, and vanillin. Cook for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and keep the dessert under the lid for 5-7 minutes.

Spread the jam into pre-prepared jars. Sweetness, prepared according to this recipe, has a bright, memorable taste and a unique flavor.

Recipe 6

1. Cut several unpeeled eggplants into rings and place them on a baking tray covered with paper. Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove, allow to cool and finely chop.
2. Syrup from a glass of sugar and a glass of water to boil, stirring for 10 minutes, drop the baked eggplants in it. Cook for 10 minutes, then add slices of sweet tomatoes or pisalis and a teaspoon of citric acid.
3. Cook for another 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and put the finished jam into jars.

The resulting jam is not only very tasty, but also beautiful. It has a sweet and sour taste with a pleasant bitterness. It won't be easy for guests to guess what this beautiful dessert is made of.

Recipe 7.

1. Dice the peeled dark nightshades, then fill with a glass of sugar and leave for 5 hours, or better overnight. After that, put it on the fire and, stirring, boil it for 40 minutes.
2. Add citric acid, a pinch of mint and cinnamon, stir and place in jars.

The jam in this recipe is easy to make, but very tasty and soft. It has a delicate, not sugary taste and pleasant smell.

Recipe 8

1. Peel four eggplants, cut off the tails and dice them. Add a teaspoon of mint and ginger. Pour a glass of white wine and leave for a couple of hours.
2. Then drain the wine, add half a glass of lemon juice and a glass of sugar. Place on a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Then add eggplants to the wine syrup and, stirring, cook for 15-20 minutes. Unlike other types of jam, this should not be put into jars. It should be eaten immediately after making.

Alcohol in this recipe is not felt at all, all the alcohol escapes during heat treatment.

Recipe 9

1. Boil peeled eggplant, apple and quince in water until soft. Drain and puree the boiled food with a blender or grind it with a pestle.
2. Add a cup of citric acid, half a cup of sugar and spices to taste.
3. Spread the puree into sterilized jars and put them in a preheated to 180 degrees oven for 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, gently remove the jars and close them with a lid.

The jam has a sour-sweet, not sugary taste. It is very mild - this is good for young children and the elderly.

Recipe 10

1. Pour a glass of sugar in a pan, heat until caramel.
2. Pour in half a cup of orange juice, stir quickly until dissolved.
3. Add the finely chopped eggplants and lemon and cook, stirring until thickened. Place in sterile jars.

The jam has a sour caramel-chocolate flavor, suitable for an evening tea party.

Rules for storing jam

Jars and lids for eggplant jam should be sterilized in a special sterilizer or in boiling water for 7 minutes. Jam should be put to the edges, tamping, so that there was no empty space. The edges of the jar and the lid should preferably be smeared with hydrogen peroxide, so as to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Shelf life of the resulting homemade delicacy is no more than 8 months. Jam should be stored in tightly closed jars in a dark cool place. The temperature should be no more than 20 degrees.

Remember that the use of spoiled eggplant jam can be detrimental to health. Under no circumstances should you consume dessert from bloated jars, or if there is an unpleasant odor or white, blue plaque. A brownish dusty appearance on eggplant jam is considered normal in the absence of other signs of spoilage.

The ideal place for such jam would, of course, be the basement or cellar. If there is no possibility to store it there, it is better to put the dessert in the refrigerator.

It is necessary to protect jars with jam from direct sunlight and light - so they will quickly spoil. After opening the jar, you need to consume eggplant sweet not later than 2 days. However, if you can not eat so quickly, you can boil the jam again and put it in another sterile container. After this procedure, the dessert can be stored for several more months.

What to eat jam with

Eggplant jam is versatile. It can be used with pancakes, buns, and pancakes, bake pies with it, add it to biscuits and cakes instead of cream. The taste of dishes with eggplant filling will not be spoiled, on the contrary - it will gain a zest and make others wonder what's inside.

Interesting facts about eggplants

1. Eggplant used to be called differently in different regions of Russia: "sinyushki", "sinyenki", "bazhizhki", "baladany", "demianki". This was due to the fact that there was no connection between people and no common language. Often the same subject was called differently in different parts of the state. The difference in dialects existed until the mid-18th century.
2. The swear word "cormorant" comes from the word cormorant. This is the name given to lazy, apathetic people, comparing them to a ripe eggplant lying under a leaf.
3. According to the genetic code, the closest "relative" of the eggplant is the thistle. Surprisingly, it is a thorn, not a zucchini or cucumber.
4. In Europe, eggplants used to be called "Turkish tomatoes" because they were often sold by people from that country.
5. To be precise, this purple vegetable is not a vegetable at all, but a berry. So it makes perfect sense to make sweet jam out of it.
6. The sages of ancient Greece called the dark nightshade "a mad apple" and advised to beware of eggplant, believing that this plant causes madness and insanity.
7. Eggplant seeds contain nicotine, but its concentration is too low to be harmful. That is why this vegetable is useful to eat for those who want to give up the bad habit of tobacco smoking.
8. Eggplant is one of the few products that do not lose their useful properties when cooked. The fibrous structure of the dark nightshade is to blame.
9. In Arab countries to this day are prepared from eggplant toothpaste. To do this, the dark nightshade is dried and then crushed. Judging by the white teeth of the population of this country, the remedy is quite effective.
10. In India, home of the dark nightshade, eggplant was used to make a kind of wine that was served only on exceptional ritual occasions - at sacrifices, weddings, births and deaths. Hindus gave sacred significance to this vegetable.
11. Although we are accustomed to seeing eggplants as dark purple, they come in a variety of colors - white, blue, pink, red, and black. Shapes of this vegetable also abound in variety - eggplant can be pear-shaped, long, like a cucumber, round, like a tomato, flat, like a patisson. Shapes and colors depend on where the nightshade grows and growing conditions.
12. There is a legend that when eggplants were first brought to Europe, the first person who tasted them, lost consciousness from surprise. That's why they were not wanted to eat for a long time.