Solanum aethiopicum, the bitter tomato, Ethiopian eggplant, or nakati, is a fruiting plant of the genusSolanum 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. They are called Titay bii or simply bii in Darjeeling, Sikkim and Nepal and are relished with meat, particularly pork. 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 varietyviolaceum 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 but is nowadays generally considered to be a cultivar group of S. aethiopicum. Ethiopian eggplant has been used as a source of disease resistance genes for several commercially grown Solanaceae crops, including Solanum melongena. A lack of genomic resources has meant that breeding has lagged behind other vegetables, although a 1.02-Gb draft genome has been sequenced by BGI, with single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified for use by breeders.
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. In Nigeria, Igbo people use it as a substitute for kolanut especially for those who do not want to chew kolanut. In which case it is used to welcome guests at home or before resumption of a traditional ceremony. Garden egg as it is commonly known in Nigeria is sometimes used to make a tomato based sauce which can be used to eat yam
Cultivation
Currently there is a large movement towards increased cultivation of Solanum aethiopicum in West Africa. It grows all year long and can produce high fruit yields. However, low germination rates are an obstacle to wider cultivation. The only place where S. aethiopicum is grown to a significant extent in Europe lies in South Italy, to be precise in Rotonda in the Basilicata, where this plant is of some commercial importance. Probably it was introduced by veterans returning from East Africa after the colonial war in the late 19th century.
Selected cultivars
'Turkish Orange' or 'Turkish Italian'
'Sweet Red'
'Small Ruffled Red', 'Red Ruffles', or 'Hmong Red'
'Gilo', 'Jiló', or 'Scarlet eggplant'
'Liberian eggplant'
Synonyms
Always make sure to check for homonyms before placing redirects these refer to the Ethiopian eggplant in the strict sense: Lycopersicon aethiopicum Mill. Solanum aethiopicum Jacq. these must be checked whether they refer to it or to the gilo : Pseudocapsicum torulosum Moench Solanum aethiopicum var. aculeatum Dunal Solanum aethiopicum var. armatum Bitter Solanum aethiopicum var. giorgii Bitter Solanum aethiopicum var. modicelobatum Bitter Solanum aethiopicum var. inerme Dunal Solanum aethiopicum var. integrifolium O.E.Schulz Solanum aethiopicum var. paaschenianum Bitter Solanum ambrosiacum Vell. Solanum aurantiacum Sendtn. Solanum brieyi De Wild. Solanum elaeagnifolium Herb. Willd. ex Steud. Solanum elskensii De Wild. Solanum geminifolium Thonn. Solanum giorgii De Wild. Solanum hybridum Jacq. Solanum integrifolium Poir. Solanum kupperi Markgr. Solanum latifolium Poir. Solanum lobelii Ten. Solanum lusitanicum Dunal Solanum naumannii Engl. Solanum obtusifolium Willd. Solanum olivare Pailleux & Bois Solanum ovatifolium De Wild. Solanum paaschenianum H.J.P.Winkl. Solanum poggei Dammer Solanum pseudomelongena Ten. Solanum racemiflorum Dunal Solanum scabrum Kunth Solanum scabrum Zuccagni Solanum scabrum Zuccagni Solanum scabrum Jacq. Solanum schroederi Dammer Solanum sparsespinosum De Wild. Solanum subsessile De Wild. Solanum sudanense Hammerst. Solanum texanum Hort. ex Ten. Solanum texanum Dunal Solanum undatum var. violaceum Dunal Solanum violaceum DC. ex Dunal Solanum willdenowii Roem. & Schult. Solanum worsleyi W.Watson Solanum zuccagnianum var. allogonum Dunal Solanum zuccagnianum Dunal thse refer to the gilo: Solanum gilo Raddi Solanum gilo Req. ex Dunal Solanum gilo var. ellipsoideum Bitter Solanum gilo var. erectifructum Bitter Solanum gilo var. pierreanum Bitter Solanum gilo subsp. megalacanthum Bitter Solanum gilo var. sparseaculeatum Bitter Solanum gilo subsp. monteiroi Bitter Solanum monteiroi C.H.Wright Solanum pierreanum Paill. & Bois -->
