Jilo / Scarlet Eggplant
Vegetable
Also known as: Jilo (Brazilian Portuguese), Gilo, scarlet eggplant (English), garden egg / gboma (West Africa), nakati (East Africa)
About this crop
A small, usually green, egg- or spindle-shaped deliberately bitter fruit cooked as a vegetable; the same species as garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum), a cousin of the tomato and eggplant. Picked green, turns orange-red if left to ripen. A documented Northeast warm-season annual (UMass field trials).
Health information for this food is under review. Reviewed claims will include their sources and limits.
Traditional uses
Treasured in Brazil for its bitterness, most associated with Minas Gerais and Afro-Brazilian foodways descended from enslaved Africans; sliced and sauteed, breaded and fried, or stewed with meat. A West African staple as garden egg/gboma in soups and stews, served as a sign of welcome.
How to prepare
Slice and saute; bread and fry; stew with meat; cook into soups and sauces. Best harvested and eaten green.
Recipe ideas
Share how you use Jilo / Scarlet EggplantJilo refogado (sauteed jilo); breaded fried jilo; jilo stewed with beef; garden-egg stew