Description
The bitter gourd is sometimes referred to as bitter melon. The fruit has a distinctive warty skin and is rectangular in shape. It has a pith, and a thin layer of flesh covering a large, flat seed hole in the middle. Usually, the fruit is eaten when it is still green or just turning green to yellow. The fruit’s flesh is watery and crunchy, tastes bitter, and resembles green bell pepper, cucumber, or chayote. It has lovely and delicate skin. Unripe fruits have white pith and seeds, which can be removed before cooking because they aren’t particularly bitter.
Varieties
The bitter melon that is more representative of India is thinner, has pointy ends, and has ridges and jagged triangular “teeth” all over its surface. Its coloration ranges from green to white. There are numerous intermediate varieties in between these two extremes. Some produce little fruit, measuring only 6 to 10 cm, which can be eaten as stuffed vegetables. In Bangladesh and India, the sub-continent variant is most widely consumed.
Uses
Fried bitter melon is typically consumed while it is still green or just starting to turn yellow. Young leaves and shoots from the bitter gourd can also be eaten as greens. To mitigate some of the bitterness that the fruit has when it is raw, it can be soaked in water which is cold and then drained.
Nutrition
100 g of uncooked bitter melon supplies:
21 calories,
4 g of carbohydrates
2 g of fiber
99% vitamin C
44% vitamin A
17% folate
8% potassium
5% zinc
4% iron
Cultivation
China, South East Asia, and India (but particularly Kerala) are among the regions where it flourishes. Bitter gourd thrives when grown in well-drained sandy loam or clay loam soil with a high organic matter content and average air temperatures of 24–27 °C. The pH range for soil is 6.0–6.7. It is typically produced as an annual crop, although in regions with moderate, frost-free winters, it can function as a perennial.
Table
