The baingan bharta is a favourite recipe in most Indian homes. It is a mixture of smoked brinjal (eggplant/aubergine) and spices eaten with roti (flat bread). So the recent possibility that it could be contaminated with toxins rankled people across the country.
In October 2009, when Indian regulatory authority the Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee (GEAC) approved the commercial release of Monsanto’s genetically modified ‘Bt brinjal’, the environment ministry was flooded with protest letters. One of the petitions was a Greenpeace India signature campaign called the ‘world’s largest baingan bharta’.
