The Heirloom Eggplant To Purchase Heirloom Eggplant Seed click this link The 4 Greatest Heirloom Eggplants of All Time Eggplants originated in China and India and have been cultivated there for thousands of years. The Spanish Moors introduced the eggplant into southern and Eastern Europe where it became very popular. The early explorers of the New World introduced eggplant into the Americas in the 1500s, but the plant never caught on. For many years, Americans were suspicious of the plant because it belonged to the Nightshade family, of Deadly Nightshade fame. Eggplants, tomatoes and potatoes all belong to this family and many Americans thought the vegetables were poisonous. In a mid-1800 American seed catalog, two varieties were listed Large Purple and Early Purple. At that time, egg plant or melongena
View more