The African eggplant is a pale-yellow coloured fruit also known as the bitter eggplant. Of the same size as a round apple, the African eggplant is much smaller than its European cousin and requires a lot of sun and water. Originally from India, it then came to Andalusia before reaching North Africa. In the middle of the 18th Century the eggplant was used only for treating burns and inflammation, and it was only later that it appeared in our plates. The eggplant is one of the rare vegetables used in traditional African cuisine. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It is also the main ingredient of a very popular sauce with tomatoes, onions, garlic, paprika, carvi or cumin and can also be prepared as a preserve, a jam or crystallized in sugar.