. . . . . except that Tofu does not grow in the garden.

I had no interest in Aubergine until my wife and I went hiking down in the Ticino region here 15 years ago. We crossed the frontier from Lugano into Italy and had lunch at a Ostelo called La Primula. They served baked Aubergine in sauce for lunch.

One year later we returned, enrolled in the cooking class (hands on) then offered by the managers at La Primula. ( They have moved down the road 1KM to La Marianna ). The same honest question was put to our Master Chef, Tiziano, by a fellow German student: " But why eat Aubergines ? "

The answer was that in "lean times " anything that grew was eventually eaten out of necessity. Tiziano explained that even tomatos from the new world were avoided for 400 years as poisonous, until people had to make a choice of eat or starve. Lombardia was blessed he said with an abundance of vegetables in comparison to Southern Italy, but still experienced some famine over the centuries. When you had no food, the Aubergine and other plants could be eaten to sustain life. So we learned to lightly fry it, then bake it in layers, grill it, and also employ it in sauces and stews.

Today, having a thick slice (or two) of Aubergine fried with a crisp coating of Pecorino Romangna cheese, a few sauteed mushrooms, and a good glass of wine, overlooking Lago di Como has become a memorable experience we enjoy and look forward to.