Baby Black Aubergines

The Nile aubergines are a variety typical to Liguria, cultivaed by only a handful of growers lucky enough to have land that provides the right conditions for this vegetable to flourish: achieving a very sweet, intense flavour with a tender and almost seedless pulp.

Giovanni grows these aubergines outdoors, on his steep terraced land in Celle Ligure on the North West coast of Italy. The rich soil, a mix of clay and sand, is cultivated using traditional methods: the crops are regularly rotated, giving the land the opportunity to recover all its nutrients, allowing him to use only natural fertilisers.

The breeze that comes from the nearby sea provides the right climatic conditions for his crops, at the same time helping to control pests and diseases. His land benefits both from the favourable climate and the rich nature of the soil, both ideal for growing this vegetable. The amount of manual work required is enormous, due to the adverse nature of the steep land, a reason for which not many growers are willing to grow to his standards today.