Sonny & Cher started with very little experience.
China is the world 's leading producer and consumer of eggplants .. China. China. Originally a vegetable of India and then China , it was introduced to Europe by traders from Arabic countries .. India. India. China. China. Arabic countries. Arabic countries. The leading producers , besides China , areIndia , Turkey , Japan , Egypt and Italy ; the Mediterranean climate favours its production .. China. China. Turkey. Turkey. Japan. Japan. Egypt. Egypt. Italy. Italy. Mediterranean climate. Mediterranean climate. China has produced eggplants since the 5th century BC for various reasons , not just for food .. China. China. The eggplant is originally from India and reached coastal regions of mainland China first and then Taiwan ; the long slender variety is the preferred one for cooking .. eggplant. eggplant. India. India. China. China. Taiwan. Taiwan. Dark eggplant skins were historically used by aristocratic women to make black dye , which they often used to `` stain their teeth to a black lustre '' .. eggplant. eggplant. In Japan , this is called ohaguro .. Japan. Japan. ohaguro. ohaguro. In 2010 , China produced 26,765,666 tonnes of eggplant , 59 % of total world production .. eggplant. eggplant. China. China. The industry is growing dramatically ; 2008 figures report that China produced 17,532,681 tons in 2006 .. China. China. For some time the Chinese have been looking into innovative ways to increase yields , and in 1987 , China established the first mechanized vegetable-seedling production farm in Beijing , known as `` plug-seedling production '' .. China. China. Eggplant has been produced in such a manner , as have tomato , cucumber , pepper , and melon , but are dependent upon plant rotation for better yield .. tomato. tomato. cucumber. cucumber. pepper. Black pepper. melon. melon. Chinese varieties of eggplants are characteristically long , slender , cylindrical and less purple than their American and Japanese counterparts with a greenish-purple calyx .. calyx. Calyx ( botany ). The industry is dominated by small-scale farmers .. Although production is dramatically increasing , eggplant farmers in China are often severely hampered by Pseudomonas solanacearum which infects their crops .. eggplant. eggplant. China. China. Pseudomonas solanacearum. Pseudomonas solanacearum