Bitter melon: Encyclopedia - Bitter melon

Bitter melon

The bitter melon (Chinese: 苦瓜; Hanyu Pinyin: kǔguā), also called bitter gourd, karela (from Hindi),hAgala kAyi (from Kannada), pavakka (from Tamil), balsampear, or balsamapple, is the edible fruit of the tropical and subtropical plant Momordica charantia, named for its bitter taste. It is considered one of the most bitter among all edible vegetables. The young shoots and leaves of the plant may be eaten as greens, and are not particularly bitter.

The bitter melon has a distinct warty texture and an oblong shape, about 10 to 20 cm long with bluntly tapering ends. It is most often eaten green, but can also be eaten when it has ripened and turned yellowish or reddish orange. The seeds are white in raw fruits and become red when they are ripe. There are two varieties of this vegetable. The large kind is long, oblong and pale green in color. The other kind is small, litte oval and dark green. Both turn orange when ripe.

The original home of bitter gourd is not known except that it is a native of the tropics. It is widely grown in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in China and the Caribbean. It is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavour. It is also cultivated extensively all over India and a type of chips called karela chips are quite relished. It is however seldom mixed with other vegetables due to its extreme bitterness.

Bitter melons also have various uses as traditional medicine around the world, and has potential use for treating HIV infections. Bitter melon is also used often in Okinawan cuisine; it is called gōyā in Okinawa. In Indian ayurvedic medicine, it is popularly seen as a "plant-insulin" and is thus highly recommended for diabetics. It is called ampalaya and prepared into a dish in the Philippines. Even in western medicine due to its high nutrition content it is advised that patients take this vegetable regularly.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bitter melon", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki