eggplant salting

I've heard the necessity of salting eggplant debated on both sides. I was led to believe it was the eggplants bitterness that calls for salting--the salt draws out the bitter liquid... I've continued to wonder what the verdict on this is, and then I read the article linked to whole foods. There it notes that salting makes the eggplant less likely to soak up tons of oil. So what's the deal with salting?

ATG117
  • Posted by: ATG117
  • September 26, 2012
  • 3049 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

Nozlee S.
Nozlee S. September 27, 2012
The idea is that you're breaking down the cell walls of the eggplant's flesh. With the water that this draws out by osmosis comes the eggplant's bitter alkaloids.

But as seen in this post with a quote from Harold McGee, it's also true that salt masks bitterness in the first place:

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/salt-trumps-bitter/
 
ATG117
ATG117 September 27, 2012
great piece. thanks!
 
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