Raw eggplant is… well, let’s call it unfriendly. Take a bite right out of the skin and you’ll get a faint, bitter, cucumber-adjacent crunch, but with a weird, spongy texture. It’s all about the texture, honestly—not the flavor.
That bitter edge comes from a compound called solanine, and it’s nature’s way of saying, “Please cook me!” So, unless you enjoy a mouthful of sad, bitter foam, never eat it raw. It’s a trap!
