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''Solanum aethiopicum'', the bitter tomato, Ethiopian eggplant (ባሚያ), or nakati, is a fruiting plant of the genus ''Solanum'' mainly found in Asia and Tropical Africa. It is also known as Ethiopian nightshade, garden eggs, and mock tomato. It is a popular vegetable in north-east India, and is known as khamen akhaba in Manipuri and ''samtawk'' in ''Mizo''. These names are a result of its varied morphology, with ripe fruit often looking like a cross between an eggplant and a tomato, which are also from ''Solanum''. In fact, the Ethiopian eggplant was so much confused with the ordinary eggplant that this was considered by some a variety ''violaceum'' of ''S. aethiopicum''. Ethiopian eggplant may have originated from the domestication of ''Solanum anguivi''. The scarlet eggplant, also known as Gilo or ''jiló'', was long held to be a distinct species (''S. gilo'') but is nowadays generally considered to be a cultivar group of ''S. aethiopicum''. ==Uses== The leaves of ''Solanum aethiopicum'' are eaten as a leaf vegetable and are actually more nutritious than the fruit. The highly variable fruit of the plant is eaten both raw and cooked and is becoming more popular as a cultivated crop. These fruits are usually harvested while still green, before the skin becomes thick. The bitterness depends on the levels of saponin it contains, some with a sweet flavor and others very bitter. When the berries mature, they turn bright red because of high carotene content. ''Solanum aethiopicum'' is used as an ornamental in Asia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Solanum aethiopicum」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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