Pea eggplants
Name Variations
- solanum torvum
- bitter balls
- Turkey berry
- devil's fig
- prickly nightshade
- shoo-shoo bush
- Wild Eggplant
- susumba
- boo
- terongan
- tekokak
- berenjena cimarrona
- berenjena de gallina
- berenjena silvestre
- tabacón, pendejera
- bâtard balengène
- zamorette
- friega-platos
- sundaikkai (Tamil: சுண்டைக்கா)
- makhua phuang (Thai: มะเขือพวง)
About Pea eggplants
The pea eggplants are species of the eggplant fruit, which come from the solanum family and have a much smaller size than the regular fruits. The scientific name for this unique berry which is consumed as a veggie is solanum torvum. The pea eggplants come in a sort of clusters – one cluster combines from 10 to 15 eggplants. These clusters have a similar aspect to the cherry tomato ones, which are also part of the solanum family. The name of these eggplants comes from their tiny size and the appearance – similar to peas. Still, these kinds of berries are not similar in taste with peas, as they have a much bitter taste. In many cases, these kinds of eggplants are also named Thai eggplants, as they are specific to this region, Thailand and they are integrated a lot in the local cuisine.
Pea eggplants have a sour flavor, which gets tender when it is cooked. The pea eggplants are used in recipes like curried pea eggplants or baked eggplants with sweet and sour dip.