TSAKONIKI EGGPLANT IS A RARE GOURMET FRUIT BORN IN THE GREEK TOWN OF LEONIDIO WHERE THEY HAVE A FESTIVAL YEARLY FOR THIS FABULOUS EGGPLANT!

With its striking purple skin streaked with white, the Tsakoniki eggplant is a true gourmet delight – sitting visually and texturally somewhere between traditional Italian and Japanese varieties. This exceptional eggplant hails from the Greek town of Leonidio, where it’s so beloved that locals hold an annual festival in its honour.

Famed for its delicately sweet flavour and buttery-soft skin, the Tsakoniki eggplant is a culinary treasure. In Europe, the name Tsakoniki is protected by Controlled Designation of Origin (PDO), meaning only fruit grown in Leonidio can be sold under this name.

But Tsakoniki is more than just a name for a remarkable vegetable – it also refers to the Tsakonian language, a rare descendant of the ancient Doric Greek dialect. Regarded as one of the oldest living dialects in the world, Tsakonian is now critically endangered, with only a few hundred native speakers remaining.

This makes the Tsakoniki eggplant not just a taste of Greece, but a living link to its deep and ancient cultural roots!

Grow Notes
Plant in full sun in moist, well-draining soils.

Sow
Sow direct or raise seedlings in Spring, planting at 5mm depth and 70cm spacing with rows 80cm apart.

Keep soil moist but never wet.

Germination
7-14 days @ 24-32°C

Maturity
80- 90 days, Perennial.