Eggplant is an odd name for the vegetable because it doesn’t resemble the egg at all. The eggplant originated in Asia and was popular in the Near East before they made their way to Europe. In the middle ages there was a different type of eggplant that was white and resembled a chicken egg. The name stuck even after we got use to the purple vegetable. Eggplants have also been called mad apples because people thought they made you go insane. Chinese women have also used parts of the eggplant to dye their teeth.