The differences between Kemer, Pala, and Aydın Black eggplant, and why August is the category's strongest export month.
Eggplant reached Anatolia from South and East Asia by way of Central Asia and the Islamic world, and it has been a fixture of Turkish cooking ever since — karnıyarık, moussaka, imam bayıldı, and charred eggplant salad all start with the same purple-black vegetable. What buyers often don't realize is that these dishes call for genuinely different varieties, not just different recipes. Turkey ranks among the world's top five fresh eggplant exporters by value, alongside Spain, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United States, and eggplant reaches its single peak harvest month in August, right alongside pepper and the rest of that month's vegetable calendar covered in our August harvest guide.
Kemer and Pala: the greenhouse standards
Kemer is the long, cylindrical, glossy dark purple-black variety grown widely under cover along the Mediterranean coast; its thin skin and low seed count make it the standard choice for stuffed dishes like karnıyarık and for oven bakes, where a long, even shape that can be split lengthwise matters. Pala is shorter and broader-bodied with the same dark skin, and its more balanced flesh-to-skin ratio suits charring, frying, and eggplant salad rather than stuffing. Both are grown in greenhouses across Antalya and Mersin, trained upright on a wire system with regular pruning for airflow, and both run from spring through the following winter with their single peak in June to September.
Aydın Black: the open-field variety that isn't bitter
Aydın Black is an early-season, open-field variety grown especially around Aydın in the Aegean region; its long, evenly shaped, dark purple-black fruit is bred specifically not to turn bitter, with a low seed count that makes it a dependable table variety for frying and general cooking. Unlike Kemer and Pala's greenhouse cycle, Aydın Black is a true open-field crop, harvested from April through September with its own peak in June-August — which is exactly the stretch, alongside Kemer and Pala, that puts all three varieties at peak together in August.
What buyers should look for at harvest
Across all three varieties, harvest timing follows the same rule: fruit is picked while the skin is still glossy and firm and the seeds haven't yet hardened, since that's what keeps bitterness low and flavor balanced. A glossy skin and a fresh-looking stem end after harvest are the two visual indicators quality control checks first. Turkey's four-vegetable greenhouse export basket — tomato, pepper, cucumber, and eggplant — is covered in more depth in our Turkish vegetable export guide, which explains how this coastal greenhouse belt keeps all four in supply for most of the year.
You can visit our Eggplant product page for full variety, caliber, and packaging detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Kemer and Pala eggplant?
Kemer is long and cylindrical with a thin skin and low seed count, suited to stuffed dishes like karnıyarık; Pala is shorter and broader-bodied with a more balanced flesh-to-skin ratio, better suited to charring, frying, and eggplant salad.
Why doesn't Aydın Black eggplant turn bitter?
It was selected specifically for flesh that stays mild rather than bitter, combined with a low seed count, which is why it's grown as a standard open-field table variety around Aydın in the Aegean region.