Sesame

• Sesame adds a nutty note to eggplant dishes. You can use toasted sesame seeds or roasted sesame oil. Pureed eggplant mixed with tahini, a Middle Eastern sesame paste, is the basis for the classic dish, baba ganoush.

Chili

• Chili peppers bring a bright, spicy flavor to eggplant. Baked eggplant with feta cheese, chili and mint is a classic Turkish dish. You can also make a Thai-inspired dinner of grilled eggplant salad with chili-lime dressing.

Garlic

• Garlic's pungency rounds out eggplant's flavor profile. Roast the garlic for a milder effect, or use it raw for a real bite. Eggplant with garlic sauce is used in Chinese cuisine.

Ginger

• Chinese, Japanese and Thai recipes for eggplant often pair eggplant with ginger, as in the Epicurious' recipe for Fried Stuffed Chinese Eggplant. Indian eggplant curries also incorporate ginger into its spice mix.

Cumin

• Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world behind black pepper, according to Food Reference. Cumin's earthy warmth matches well with eggplant in dishes such as chef Daniel Boulud's Eggplant with Cumin.

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon needn't only be used for sweets. Many marinades and curry mixtures have this warm spice in a savory context as well. Epicurious has a recipe for rice pilaf with pistachios and cinnamon. The classic Greek eggplant dish, moussaka, features cinnamon as well.