Best veggies for grilling?

[GotGarlic]

Huhh? What the heck are members of the nightshade family and why shouldn't we eat them? Sounds to me like that someone is smoking sumpthin illegal depending on where they live.

A friend of mine said she had read that eliminating veggies from the nightshade family would relieve symptoms of arthritis. There is no evidence to support this idea. She tried it for a few months and then gave it up. It didn't help.

http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/features/arthritis-diets-supplements

 

[Mad Cook]

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc., etc. There are some members of the nightshade family that are poisonous. I suspect that's why the caution.

I read a story that the introduction of the tomato to Europe was difficult because it was thought to be poisonous as a member of the nightshade family.

Quite true. One of my great-grandmother was convinced that tomatoes were poisonous. They were also believed to cause cancer (pre 20th C)

They are all related to the "deadly nightshade" plant which lives up to its name and is a source of belladonna which was used topically as a beauty product to enhance the eyes - rumour has it that Queen Elizabeth I was a devotee. IIRC it opens the pupils and makes the eyes look bigger.

Incidentally, the potato tuber is the only part of that plant that isn't poisonous so I assume that some parts of it's relatives are too

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_belladonna

 

[RPCookin]

Somebody told me I should not eat eggplant (along with tomatoes and other members of the nightshade family)...I told her it would be a cold day in Tucson before I gave them up.

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc., etc. There are some members of the nightshade family that are poisonous. I suspect that's why the caution.

I read a story that the introduction of the tomato to Europe was difficult because it was thought to be poisonous as a member of the nightshade family.

Yeah... it took a long time for tomatoes to be accepted as edible.

Although it's apparently an unpopular opinion here, I still see eggplant as being inedible (prepares to duck ) All of the eggplant I ever had tasted very bitter, and bitter doesn't work for me. I don't do coffee, and if a dish has any hint of coffee in it, I will usually reject it.

I seem to be very sensitive to anything with a bitter taste. While I like beer, especially micro brews, I don't like the ones that are exceptionally hoppy.

 

[taxlady]

Yeah... it took a long time for tomatoes to be accepted as edible.

Although it's apparently an unpopular opinion here, I still see eggplant as being inedible (prepares to duck ) All of the eggplant I ever had tasted very bitter, and bitter doesn't work for me. I don't do coffee, and if a dish has any hint of coffee in it, I will usually reject it.

I seem to be very sensitive to anything with a bitter taste. While I like beer, especially micro brews, I don't like the ones that are exceptionally hoppy.

You might be a super taster. There's a test you can do at home.

 

[Addie]

Yeah... it took a long time for tomatoes to be accepted as edible.

Although it's apparently an unpopular opinion here, I still see eggplant as being inedible (prepares to duck ) All of the eggplant I ever had tasted very bitter, and bitter doesn't work for me. I don't do coffee, and if a dish has any hint of coffee in it, I will usually reject it.

I seem to be very sensitive to anything with a bitter taste. While I like beer, especially micro brews, I don't like the ones that are exceptionally hoppy.

Who ever made that eggplant, obviously didn't salt and press it first. When properly prepared, the bitterness can be successfully removed prior to cooking.

 

[RPCookin]

Who ever made that eggplant, obviously didn't salt and press it first. When properly prepared, the bitterness can be successfully removed prior to cooking.

Entirely possible. I'm not going to worry about it. There are plenty of veggies in the world that I do like, so I can live without eggplant. My wife doesn't care for it either, so it's a pretty easy decision.

 

[GotGarlic]

C

Entirely possible. I'm not going to worry about it. There are plenty of veggies in the world that I do like, so I can live without eggplant. My wife doesn't care for it either, so it's a pretty easy decision.

Same here. The only way I've ever liked eggplant was in moussaka, layered with ground lamb in seasoned tomato sauce and topped with be chameleon sauce. Then I saw a variation in a Greek cookbook made with zucchini instead. Yum!