Until about ten years ago, the eggplant and I were sworn enemies. Largely flavorless, tough in texture, and rather unappetizing with its strange oblong shape and bizarre-sounding moniker, it was but an unwanted discovery in a plate of ratatouille, or a dissatisfying replacement for meat in a particularly uninspired vegetarian dish.

I picked it out of meals, dreaded its appearance in my parents’ kitchen, and generally circumvented it for years. And then, I went to Sicily. With its unique combination of scorching sun, sparkling sea, volcanic rock, and mineral-rich soil, Sicily elevates everything it touches–and, as I soon discovered, the humble melanzana (eggplant) above all.