Eggplant (Solanum melongena) or aubergine is a species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit. It is known in South Asia, Southeast Asia and South Africa as brinjal.Eggplant is the common name in North American and Australian English but British English uses aubergine.Other common names are melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash. The fruit is widely used in cooking. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to both the tomato and the potato.ggplant is used in the cuisine of many countries. Eggplant is widely used in its native Indian cuisine, for example in sambhar, dalma (a dal preparation with vegetables, native to Odisha), chutney, curry, and achaar.