Readers' recipe swap: aubergines — theguardian.com

The aubergine (or eggplant) isn't the easiest thing to love – but once you've had a good one, you'll be in thrall for life. At its best in high summer, this glossy black Mediterranean fruit never disappoints on the barbecue, but this globetrotting selection of recipes will remind you just why you fell for it in the first place, and maybe win the aubergine a few new converts too. I was thrilled to learn how to recreate the spicy, sweet and sour flavours of my favourite restaurant's Sichuan aubergines at home, so that's my winner, but it was a tough contest – twinnydip's pretty tomato and aubergine cake would make a lovely picnic, while withmustard's Bengali aubergines were great with flatbreads for a simple Saturday lunch. In fact, I loved all of them. That's the aubergine for you.

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