Aubergine
Black, elongated and almost glossy, or striped purple on white, the Almería aubergine is picked nearly all year round. Beneath the skin, its pale flesh keeps a dense, fresh texture.
The aubergine ranks sixth among Almería's protected vegetable crops by area, production and value: 2,545 hectares and some 241,200 tonnes in the 2024/2025 season. Growing under cover allows a very long commercial calendar, from September to August — with uneven volumes month to month — and around 70% of Spain's aubergines come out of the province's greenhouses.
Two silhouettes structure the supply: the black aubergine, elongated and relatively narrow, very dark-skinned and firm-fleshed, and the striped one, with its purple marbling on a white ground. Round or fully white aubergines exist, but add up to less than 1% of the tracked market.
The 2024/2025 season confirms a very European product: 90% of the province's exports went to the European Union, with Germany (28%) and France (27%) in the lead. In local bars its most glorious destiny remains unchanged: berenjenas fritas with cane honey.
Varieties
- Long black
- Striped, purple on white
- Round (minority)
- White (minority)