Almagro Eggplant - What Have We Got?

[Grub]

Hi,

Ignacio if you are reading this perhaps you have an answer. Anyone else willing to try? Feel free to join in on this research project and speculate.

Ignacio kindly sent me eggplant seeds from his village in Almagro, Spain.

He labelled it Almagro.

I have Googled "Almagro Eggplant" a fair bit and do find that there is a eggplant pickle peculiar to the region. So I'm curious about this eggplant: its shape, colour, size, etc.


Has anyone heard of an eggplant from Almagro, the pickles, or anything?

I have found references such as:

1. Almagro eggplant is a pickle manufactured in Spain using a native... (presumably, eggplant)

2. The "Almagro Eggplant" is an appetizer introduced by the Arabs who reigned the Almagro area for many centuries.

3. And there is the pickled eggplant of Almagro, the Castilian town that became known throughout Spain for this one culinary contribution.

4. Don Quixote slept here
Almagro lies on the vast plain of La Mancha and is home to a 16th-century theater, the Corral de Comedias, the only one of its kind left in Spain. When you stay here don't miss the intricate lace shops that dot the Plaza Mayor.

The parador itself was a Franciscan monastery built in 1596. Each monks' cell has been transformed into a cozy guestroom arranged around 14 patios.

Almagro is the place for eggplant. And it is prepared in ways you have never tasted. One night, the thick slices were served in a pudding mixed with leeks.

5. Berenjenas De Almagro [aubergines from Almagro]
Recipe #167928
Feel like making tapas? Here's a good eggplant recipe. I haven't made it yet so let me know what you think.
by Missy Wombat
4 servings
20 min 5 min prep

8 small eggplant
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
wild marjoram, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 whole garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet red peppers

Slightly fry the whole garlic cloves in a pan with the olive oil until brown. Add the fresh ground pepper and the sweet red pepper so they are mixed with the olive oil.
Then, cook the aubergines in boiling water, adding the contents of the pan, one laurel leaf, a tablespoons of vinegar and a little wild marjoram. Let them boil gently, taking care that the aubergines do not break. They can be kept in this sauce indefinitely. Serve cold.

6. The famed Almagro pickled aubergine is sold in tins or jars and proudly displayed by the very best tapas bars in Barcelona , Madrid and all over Spain .

All pretty interesting, I reckon.
Cheers, Grub.

[Grub]

I suspect this plant likes cooler weather. Now imagine that. Eggplants you can grow in a short season and at high altitude.

The denomination "Almagro Eggplant" includes six townships belonging to the Campo de Calatrava region in the Ciudad Real province: Aldea del Rey, Almagro, Bolaños de Calatrava, Calzada de Calatrava, Granátula de Calatrava and Valenzuela de Calatrava.
The area’s average altitude is 680 meters (2,231 feet) and its orography does not show relieves of any importance.

The climate is between continental and mediterranean with major differences in temperature between day and night and between summer and winter. The average temperature and precipitation over the year is 14-15ºC (57-59ºF) and 400-450 millimeters, respectively.

This cultivation’s sown area under the protection of the denomination amounts to 80-100 hectares (198-247 acres).

Belonging to the "Solanum melongena" species.The eggplant traditionally grown in this area is a native variety used for canning known as "Almagro Eggplant". It is the result of the selection made by the area’s very own growers characterized by the calyx leaves which practically cover the fruit. The eggplant is dark green, although at times a little purple or black pigmentation characteristic to this variety may appear.

http://www.jccm.es/agricul/paginas/c...enjenahome.htm[/url]

Further...

The "Almagro Eggplant" is an appetizer introduced by the Arabs who reigned the Almagro area for many centuries. It made its way from craft production to industry without losing its attractive taste.
The product’s composition is healthy, low in calories, rich in fiber, and its taste is a little sour.

The eggplant production process includes cooking, fermentation, seasoning and packing.

Depending on its production process and its presentation, the specific denomination protects the following commercial denominations:

Seasoned:
Whole fruits with bract and peduncle and no other additive but its own seasoning.

Stuffed:
The fruits are seasoned by a cut in its upper part in order to stuff them with a piece of natural hot pepper, fixed by a fennel stem across the eggplant.

Stuffed with pepper paste:
The natural pepper is substituted by a pepper paste including sodium alginate, gomaguar and calcium chloride.

Chopped:
Pieces of chopped fruit, excluding bracts and peduncles.

[Grub]

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...ournalCode=jam

This is interesting to me... evidently, they ferment the Almagro eggplant and make a pickle. And no accelarent or anything elsee is used to create the fermentation or to ensure it's safe to eat. I think the process has prompted the above study?

[carolyn137]

Grub, got your em re this and will take a closer look, but it was helpful for me to read here first to understand that this a wee eggplant and that the calyx covers the actual fruit.

And yes, there are so called natural fermentations that occur, and tomatoes are one. There's also some beers that I remember reading about that are the result of natural fermentation. At least I think it was beers, I'll check that out.

Making sauerkraut also is a natural fermentation, and much more, so that aspect doesn't bug me one bit and that's what's emphasized in the article in terms of them IDing the specific Lactobacilli that are involved.

Good thing you emed me b'c I don't normally read the eggplant, pepper, potato section.

Carolyn

[Grub]

Thanks Carolyn,

You are right about the sauerkraut. Don't mind a bit of that from time to time.

Judging from the pic I have pasted below, from the address above, they do look small but not THAT small.

Interestingly, Ignacio said he had to go to the hills to get the seeds for me. So that part fits with the above research. Unfortunately, I can't find an email address for Ignacio, as he doesn't appear to post here anymore.




I guess I could take some eggplants, wash them, dry them very well, put them in a jar with some salt, and put them in a dark place? Taste a couple of months later and hopefully live to tell the tale.

Would it be a natural fermentation that is peculiar to this eggplant? And could that change when the same eggplant is grown in a different climate?

Thanks for your time,

Grub.

Edited: Finding lots of stuff about fermenting eggplants, such as...

Results from this study indicate that caper fruit fermentation shares many characteristics with other vegetable fermentations, where L. plantarum is usually the predominant species as well, both because of its higher acid tolerance and its ability to degrade sugars which are present in vegetables (12, 17, 19, 23, 30). However, while Leuconostoc species are also present in other vegetable fermentations, they were not detected in caper fermentations. A similar profile has been described in Almagro eggplant fermentation, where Lactobacillus species were also predominant (31). The absence of Leuconostoc could be attributed to the rapid decrease of pH, since this bacterium is not able to grow below pH 4.5 (23). It should be noticed as well that this process takes place during a very warm time in the year, and the exposure of the containers to the solar radiation allows the fermentation to take place at temperatures over 40°C. On the contrary, growth of Leuconostoc appears be favored in fermentations that take place at low temperatures, between 8 and 18°C (29), and therefore, the high temperatures in caper fermentations could very well inhibit their growth.

So I guess I'll have to try it!

LACTO-FERMENTING INFO...
(Don't agree with all the author's opinoins, but the fermenting sounds interesting to me)

Lacto-Fermentation

by Sally Fallon

From Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, available from New Trends Publishing.

It may seem strange to us that, in earlier times, people knew how to preserve vegetables for long periods without the use of freezers or canning machines. This was done through the process of lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid by the many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria. These lactobacilli are ubiquitous, present on the surface of all living things and especially numerous on leaves and roots of plants growing in or near the ground. Man needs only to learn the techniques for controlling and encouraging their proliferation to put them to his own use, just as he has learned to put certain yeasts to use in converting the sugars in grape juice to alcohol in wine.

The ancient Greeks understood that important chemical changes took place during this type of fermentation. Their name for this change was "alchemy." Like the fermentation of dairy products, preservation of vegetables and fruits by the process of lacto-fermentation has numerous advantages beyond those of simple preservation. The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine. Other alchemical by-products include hydrogen peroxide and small amounts of benzoic acid.

A partial list of lacto-fermented vegetables from around the world is sufficient to prove the universality of this practice. In Europe the principle lacto-fermented food is sauerkraut. Described in Roman texts, it was prized for both for its delicious taste as well as its medicinal properties. Cucumbers, beets and turnips are also traditional foods for lacto-fermentation. Less well known are ancient recipes for pickled herbs, sorrel leaves and grape leaves. In Russia and Poland one finds pickled green tomatoes, peppers and lettuces. Lacto-fermented foods form part of Asian cuisines as well. The peoples of Japan, China and Korea make pickled preparations of cabbage, turnip, eggplant, cucumber, onion, squash and carrot. Korean kimchi, for example, is a lacto-fermented condiment of cabbage with other vegetables and seasonings that is eaten on a daily basis and no Japanese meal is complete without a portion of pickled vegetable. American tradition includes many types of relishes--corn relish, cucumber relish, watermelon rind--all of which were no doubt originally lacto-fermented products. The pickling of fruit is less well known but, nevertheless, found in many traditional cultures. The Japanese prize pickled umeboshi plums, and the peoples of India traditionally fermented fruit with spices to make chutneys.

Lacto-fermented condiments are easy to make. Fruits and vegetables are first washed and cut up, mixed with salt and herbs or spices and then pounded briefly to release juices. They are then pressed into an air tight container. Salt inhibits putrefying bacteria for several days until enough lactic acid is produced to preserve the vegetables for many months. The amount of salt can be reduced or even eliminated if whey is added to the pickling solution. Rich in lactic acid and lactic-acid-producing bacteria, whey acts as an inoculant, reducing the time needed for sufficient lactic acid to be produced to ensure preservation. Use of whey will result in consistently successful pickling; it is essential for pickling fruits. During the first few days of fermentation, the vegetables are kept at room temperature; afterwards, they must be placed in a cool, dark place for long-term preservation.

It is important to use the best quality organic vegetables, sea salt and filtered or pure water for lacto-fermentation. Lactobacilli need plenty of nutrients to do their work; and, if the vegetables are deficient, the process of fermentation will not proceed. Likewise if your salt or water contains impurities, the quality of the final product will be jeopardized.

Lacto-fermentation is an artisanal craft that does not lend itself to industrialization. Results are not always predictable. For this reason, when the pickling process became industrialized, many changes were made that rendered the final product more uniform and more saleable but not necessarily more nutritious. Chief among these was the use of vinegar for the brine, resulting in a product that is more acidic and not necessarily beneficial when eaten in large quantities; and of subjecting the final product to pasteurization, thereby effectively killing all the lactic-acid-producing bacteria and robbing consumers of their beneficial effect on the digestion.

The lacto-fermented recipes presented in Nourishing Traditions are designed to be made in small quantities in your own kitchen. They require no special equipment apart from a collection of wide-mouth, quart-sized mason jars and a wooden pounder or a meat hammer. (For special sauerkraut crocks that enable you to make large quantities, see Sources in the back of Nourishing Traditions.)

We recommend adding a small amount of homemade whey (recipe on page 87 of Nourishing Traditions) to each jar of vegetables or fruit to ensure consistently satisfactory results. Whey supplies lactobacilli and acts as an inoculant. Do not use commercial concentrated whey or dried whey. You may omit whey and use more salt in the vegetable recipes, but whey is essential in the recipes calling for fruit.

About one inch of space should be left between the top of your vegetables with their liquid and the top of the jar, as the vegetables and their juices expand slightly during fermentation.

Be sure to close the jars very tightly. Lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process and the presence of oxygen, once fermentation has begun, will ruin the final product.

We have tried to keep these recipes as simple as possible without undue stress on ideal temperatures or precise durations. In general, a room temperature of about 72 degrees will be sufficient to ensure a lactic-acid fermentation in about two to four days. More time will be needed if your kitchen is colder and less if it is very warm. After two to four days at room temperature, the jars should be placed in a dark, cool spot, ideally one with a temperature of about 40 degrees. In days gone by, crocks of lacto-fermented vegetables were stored in root cellars or caves. A wine cellar or small refrigerator kept on a "warm" setting is ideal; failing that, the top shelf of your refrigerator will do. Lacto-fermented fruit chutneys need about two days at room temperature and should always be stored in a refrigerator.

Lacto-fermented vegetables increase in flavor with time--according to the experts, sauerkraut needs at least six months to fully mature. But they also can be eaten immediately after the initial fermentation at room temperature. Lacto-fermented vegetable condiments will keep for many months in cold storage but lacto-fermented fruits and preserves should be eaten within two months of preparation.

Some lacto-fermented products may get bubbly, particularly the chutneys. This is natural and no cause for concern. And do not be dismayed if little spots of white foam appear at the top of the pickling liquid. They are completely harmless and can be lifted off with a spoon. The occasional batch that goes bad presents no danger--the smell will be so awful that nothing could persuade you to eat it. The sign of successful lacto-fermentation is that the vegetables and fruits remained preserved over several weeks or months of cold storage.

Lactic-acid fermented vegetables and fruit chutneys are not meant to be eaten in large quantities but as condiments. They go beautifully with meats and fish of all sorts, as well as with pulses and grains. They are easy to prepare, and they confer health benefits that cannot be underestimated.

Scientists and doctors today are mystified by the proliferation of new viruses--not only the deadly AIDS virus but the whole gamut of human viruses that seem to be associated with everything from chronic fatigue to cancer and arthritis. They are equally mystified by recent increases in the incidence of intestinal parasites and pathogenic yeasts, even among those whose sanitary practices are faultless. Could it be that in abandoning the ancient practice of lacto-fermentation and in our insistence on a diet in which everything has been pasteurized, we have compromised the health of our intestinal flora and made ourselves vulnerable to legions of pathogenic microorganisms? If so, the cure for these diseases will be found not in vaccinations, drugs or antibiotics but in a restored partnership with the many varieties of lactobacilli, our symbionts of the microscopic world.

About the Author

Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, and Eat Fat, Lose Fat (both with Mary G. Enig, PhD), as well as of numerous articles on the subject of diet and health. She is President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk. She is the mother of four healthy children raised on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat.

Click here to become a member of the Foundation and receive our quarterly journal, full of informative articles as well as sources of healthy food.

Copyright Notice: The material on this site is copyrighted by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Please contact the Foundation for permission if you wish to use the material for any purpose.
Disclaimer: The information published herein is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate care by a qualified health practitioner.

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This page was posted on 01 JAN 2000

ends

[toro_miura]

Hello Grub,
Incredible research you have done! Almagro is a nice place to visit but I'm not from there. The growing season is not too short or cool there, perhaps April-October , but I've grown them in a warmer province of Spain, Caceres, with a growing season March-November and very hot (~40ºC) and dry summers, and they performed very well. They are picked from the plant in the inmature stage, the smaller the better. As you have seen, there is a lot of recipes for them. The one I've done (delicious!) uses vinegar to preserve them . It's a stuffed type. I'll try to traslate it (Google translator):
Ingredients for 4 people:
#1 chorrito of olive oil
# 6 teeth of garlic
# 4 fibers of saffron
# 500 grams of small eggplants
# 1.5 spoonfuls of I comine in grain
# 1 tiny amount of ground black pepper
# 500 grams of red peppers to roast
# 2 spoonfuls of salt
# 300 ccs of vinegar
Instructions of elaboration:

Roast whole peppers.

Once roasted take off the skin from them taking care of of not losing the liquid that they lose and cut them in strips of about two fingers of wide.

Strain the liquid of the peppers and the one that could be in the tray and reserve.

Make a mixture or with half of the salt, pricked garlic, the black pepper, saffron , the cominos that will have been crushed slightly in mortar, a third of the vinegar, the olive oil and the liquid of the peppers.

Put the peppers inside this mixture and let rest in the refrigerator 12 hours.

Put the eggplants with the rest of the salt with water to average fire about 25 or 30 minutes depending of the size of the eggplants. Better for them to be a little hard than soft. The texture should a little rubbery.

Once cooked, strain them and reserve the liquid.

Let them cool and make an incision along them to touch the stem and in each crack is placed one or two strips of pepper closing the eggplants with a fennel stick perpendicular to the slip previously made.

They are deposited in a crystal container of ample mouth and they are covered until its two thirds with the water of the baking of the eggplants, is finished covering them with water, one adds then the leftover liquid of seasoning of the peppers and the rest of the vinegar.

They are let rest 24 hours and it is rectified then if it is necessary of salt and vinegar.

The traduction is pretty bad, if you don't understand anything just tell me.
Greetings,
Ignacio.

[Grub]

Merry Christmas Ignacio!

Thanks for checking in and sorting out the fact from the fiction. Coming into a hot summer here.

And the Almagro eggplants are flowering as we speak!

The recipe is a fine and I'm going to try and work it out some more.

Only two more questions:

I suppose a chorito is a cup?
I suppose I comine in grain is cummin seeds?

That is all for now.

Many thanks and if you need any tomato, pepper or eggplant () seeds let me know.

Best, Grubs

[toro_miura]

Merry Christmas to you too (and a bit hotter)
A "chorrito" is more like a drop, and "comino" is cumin seed as you have guessed.
Have a nice time.

[Grub]

Here is my first Almagro eggplant...



Pretty. Hope to get many more. Will wait a while for it to get a tad bigger.