Bottle gourd

Lagenaria siceraria

vegetable

The young fruit of the calabash, with mild, very watery flesh, cooked all over Asia; dried, the same fruit becomes a water gourd, a ladle or a musical instrument.

Origin

Africa

Season (United States)

July to October · grows in your region

Preparation

Young, it is eaten with its skin and tender seeds; older, it is peeled and seeded. Taste a sliver raw before cooking: if it is distinctly bitter, throw it away without tasting more — that is cucurbitacin, which makes people seriously ill, and cooking does not remove it.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Beta-carotene (vitamin A)

Did you know?

The Romans already called the gourd cucurbita: the Latin word meant it, not our squashes from the Americas.