Eggs-traordinary eggplant, nine times heavier than a football, enters record books
An uber-sized aubergine from Iowa, USA, tipping the scales at 3.778 kg (8 lb 5.3 oz), has been crowned the world’s heaviest eggplant.
Weighing about the same as an adult Yorkshire terrier, it is more than 10 times the size of a typical eggplant that you’d find at the grocery store.
Dave Bennett proudly lifts up the heaviest eggplant after its weight was confirmed
Planted by Dave Bennett (USA) in early April, the record-setting globe eggplant (aka American eggplant) – which are known for their rounder, fatter fruit – was harvested in Bloomfield, Iowa, on 31 July.
It measured in at a whopping 71.12 cm (2 ft 3.9 in) in circumference and 35.56 cm (1 ft 1.16 in) tall from stem to base.
The assessment was overseen at Bennett’s home on calibrated digital scales by Ivan Hankins of the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship's Weights & Measures Bureau.
Hankins told GWR: “My initial reaction was [excitement] for another eggplant that Dave was growing. It was a pretty good size as well. But then Dave corrected me and said, ‘This is the one!’ I thought for a moment we had close to a 10-pounder!”
Eggplant on the scales being weighed
Hankins continued: “Iowa is a corn state and, as corny as it sounds, we have the LARGEST EGGPLANT on record! It is a proud moment and BIG deal for the State of Iowa!”
To share the achievement with fellow Iowans, the amazing aubergine is due to be displayed to the public at the Iowa State Fair (starting 8 August).
Bennett also grows pumpkins, squashes, gourds and melons among other produce
Hobbyist horticulturalist Bennett, who also cultivates other fruit and vegetables such as pumpkins, butternut squashes and melons – as well as chrysanthemums – has turned his green fingers to enormous eggplants over the last four years.
I knew it was big, but I really didn't think it was that big. I felt very satisfied. It was a great feeling to finally accomplish something this big – Dave Bennett, grower of the heaviest eggplant
Ironically, Bennett confided he’s not exactly a big fan of eating eggplants… “To be honest I can't remember ever eating any… but I remember my father loved them. If he was still here with us, he would be trying to get it from me to eat it.”
The weightiest eggplant that Bennett had produced up until now was a 2.54-kg (5-lb 9.6-oz) effort in 2022, which was believed to be a North American record. The mother seed for this new world record holder came from that 2022 fruit.
Asked what he thinks made the difference this year, Bennett said: “I think it got so big because of the amendments I made to my soil. Also, the weather was in my favour.”
The eggplant while still growing, placed on plastic to avoid contact with the wet soil
It wasn’t all plain sailing though. Bennett said the plant had withstood some bug attacks at the start of the growing season, as well as a number of bad storms, including “eight inches of rain just before we picked it”.
Already looking ahead, Bennett tells us that he will be collecting the seeds from his record-setting specimen and sharing them with clubs so that others can have a go at growing a mega-aubergine from a plant with proven "giant genes".
He will, of course, be holding on to a few of the seeds himself as he’s confident “it’s very possible to grow a heavier one”.
When it comes to any top tips to others looking to up their eggplant game, Bennett advised: “Just have your soil in good condition and use a balanced fertilizer. Set on a mega bloom; after that, trim off all of the new growth. Then hope for the best!”
The previous heaviest eggplant weighed 3.362 kg (7 lb 6.6 oz) and was grown by the UK's Peter Glazebrook
This supersized specimen smashed the previous world record for a Solanum melongena fruit: a 3.362-kg (7-lb 6.6-oz) aubergine, which was presented by veteran competitive gardener Peter Glazebrook (UK) at the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship in September 2022.
The holder prior to that, with a weight of 3.12 kg (6 lb 14 oz), was also produced by Glazebrook, as confirmed in September 2021.
Although Glazebrook may have now ceded his crown for the heaviest eggplant, he does still hold several other titles for prodigious produce, including heaviest cauliflower – 27.48 kg (60 lb 9.3 oz) – set in 2014, heaviest potato – 4.98 kg (10 lb 15 oz) – set in 2011, and longest runner bean, measuring 89.7 cm (2 ft 11.31 in) in 2023.
The tallest aubergine plant, aka brinjal, on record was a 5.5-m (18-ft) specimen grown by Abdul Masfoor of Karnataka, India, as verified in September 1998.