Eggplant Ranks #1 in Favorite Summer Vegetables! Over Half Report Stress Over Quick Spoilage

Nadia Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO Yoshiki Katsuragi), operator of the culinary media 'Nadia', conducted a survey on 'summer vegetables' targeting 1,094 users (survey period: May 29 to June 4, 2026).

The survey results revealed that the number one favorite summer vegetable is 'eggplant (81.0%)', followed by 'tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes) (77.7%)' in second place, and 'cucumbers (71.6%)' in third. These top three vegetables garnered overwhelming popularity with over 70% support. Other highly ranked items included 'edamame (67.4%)' and 'corn (60.3%)'.

When asked about their 'favorite menus and ways to eat' popular summer vegetables, respondents ranked 'simmered/steeped eggplant (66.2%)' first for eggplants, showing a preference for dishes that can be eaten chilled. For tomatoes, 'cut and served as is (73.9%)' was the top choice, while 'salads/tossed dishes (64.7%)' led for cucumbers. This highlights strong support for easy preparations that minimize the use of heat.

On the other hand, the survey also highlighted stresses and difficulties associated with summer vegetables. The most common complaint was that they 'spoil quickly, making bulk buying difficult (55.9%)', followed by concerns that they 'produce a lot of vegetable waste such as peels, seeds, and pulp (33.1%)'. Additionally, respondents cited issues like 'recipes becoming monotonous (29.6%)' and 'cooking with heat being too hot and bothersome (27.3%)', demonstrating a demand for easy and creative recipes.

To address these challenges, Nadia proposed effective storage techniques for summer vegetables. For moisture-rich eggplants, they recommend washing, thoroughly wiping off the moisture, wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap, and storing them in plastic bags in the refrigerator to make them last longer. For cherry tomatoes, they suggest removing the stems where bacteria easily breed, washing and drying them, and storing them in containers lined with paper towels in the refrigerator. They also introduced freezing techniques to help reduce food waste and improve cooking efficiency.

Furthermore, the platform shared ideas for getting comfortably through the hot summer, including microwave 'eggplant' recipes that require no stove-top cooking.