It is said that American varieties have been improved to make it easier to grow in Japan. Since the skin is firm and the flesh is hard, dengaku (from around the middle of the Heian period, in rural areas, there was a custom of dancing in the rice fields to the sound of drums during the rice planting period, and this was called “Dekgaku dance”. Dekgaku buddhist priest, whose livelihood is this dance, always wore a colored coat on a white flesh and danced on a single stick, so the figure was made by putting miso on white tofu and grilling it on a skewer. Since it was similar to tofu dishes, it is said to have come to be called “Bean paste dengaku” or “dengaku”) and is ideal for steaks. Since the fibers are solid, we recommend slicing laterally. Since it does not easily collapse, it is also suitable for boiling ratatouille and is suitable for cooking.
In Aichi prefecture, it is shipped all year round by green house cultivation and open field cultivation. Most of the greenhouse cultivation is a variety called “Senryo eggplant”, which is characterized by its soft skin and flesh and easy cooking. In the Nishi-Mikawa area, the variety “Thornless Kiraku (jointly cultivated by Aichi Prefecture and Agricultural Research Organization in 2008)” cultivated by Aichi Prefecture does not generate thorns on fruit buds, leaves, stems, etc., making farming and cooking comfortable. It seems that it can be done. In addition, because it has parthenocarpy (the property of fruit set and enlargement without pollination), it does not require pollination by visiting insects or spraying of plant hormones, and it seems that it can be cultivated in a labor-saving manner. The fruits are glossy and well-aligned, and have excellent shelf life. Since there are almost no obstacles such as sunburn, it seems that a high quality rate can be obtained. The fruit shape is the same long eggplant shape as the eggplant variety “Senryo eggplant” that is often produced in Aichi prefecture. It has parthenogenetic results, and even in winter, it is possible to obtain fruits with a well-organized fruit shape. However, parthenogenetic results become unstable during the high temperature period, so it seems that fruit set promotion treatment is necessary) ”is cultivated and shipped under the product name “Thornless Eggplant (Venus) eggplant ”. It features a very glossy skin and soft and sweet flesh. In addition, in open-field cultivation, we mainly cultivate eggplants called “Chikuyo eggplant”. This is characterized by its long fruit and voluminous feel.
The origin of eggplant is India, which is a tropical plant and light-colored vegetable. There is a record that it was already transmitted to Japan via China in the Nara period. Probably because it suits the tastes of Japanese people, forcible cultivation began in the Edo period, which is one of the earliest foreign vegetables. Nowadays, various kinds of eggplants such as small eggplants of about 3 cm, large eggplants of about 40 cm, and round eggplants like balls are cultivated all over the country.