Pickled Eggplant

part of: Eggplant

Pickled eggplant is a staple of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian cuisines, where preserving summer vegetables for year-round use is a long tradition. The pickling process tempers the eggplant’s mild bitterness and gives it a pleasantly sour, savoury character.

The texture ranges from firm and slightly chewy to very soft depending on how the eggplant is prepared before pickling — some recipes call for grilling or blanching first, while others pickle the flesh raw. Common seasonings include garlic, chilli, herbs, and olive oil.

Pickled eggplant works well as part of an antipasto spread, stuffed into sandwiches, or served as a side dish alongside grilled meats and flatbread.

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How it's made

Eggplant is sliced or cubed, often salted and drained first to remove excess moisture and bitterness. The pieces may be briefly blanched or roasted before being packed into jars with vinegar, salt, garlic, herbs, and sometimes oil. The jars are sealed and left to cure, allowing the brine to penetrate the flesh and preserve it.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 49kcal
Protein 0.9g
Carbs 7.3g
Fat 0.7g
Fibre 2.5g Sugar 4.8g
Mass Distribution

1 cup is about 136 g — roughly 70 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.69kg
Freshwater ≈153.04L
Land ≈0.57

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

tangy condiment

Goes well with
Classic dishes
  • Antipasto platter
  • Mezze spread
  • Middle Eastern salad

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

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