What is okra in English?

What is okra in English?

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) are known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers or gumbo) is a flowering plant in the mallow family, related to cotton and hibiscus. It is valued for its edible green seed pods.

Is Lady Finger a fruit?

Ladyfinger or okra is a botanical fruit, meaning that it develops out of the same botanical part as other fruits, specifically the ovaries. Any structure meant to bear seeds that develops out of the ovary counts as a botanical fruit (even fruits that are seedless due to deliberate manmade infertility).

Can you eat okra raw?

The entire okra plant is edible. The leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like any other greens. Okra pods can even be eaten raw. The less cooked okra is, the better it is for you.

Is okra a fruit?

All but one person said string beans were a vegetable and most (30) said squash is a vegetable. Avocadoes, string beans, squash, eggplant, green pepper and okra are all technically fruits, Litt says. On the other hand, rhubarb is not a fruit. … So the ovary will develop into the fruit.

What do we call Bhindi in English?

Okra or Okro. Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhendi, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods.

Where did okra come from?

Okra probably originated somewhere around Ethiopia, and was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians by the 12th century B.C. Its cultivation spread throughout North Africa and the Middle East. The seed pods were eaten cooked, and the seeds were toasted and ground, used as a coffee substitute (and still is).

How does okra grow?

Planting. Okra needs full sun. It will grow in ordinary garden soil but does best in fertile loam, particularly where a nitrogen-fixing crop — such as early peas — grew previously. … Sow the seeds 1/2 inch deep in light soil and 1 inch deep in heavy soil; spacing is 3 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

What is okra slime?

Okra pods are known as “mucilaginous,” which results in a slimy or gooey mouthfeel when cooked. This “mucilage” or slime contains soluble fiber that we can digest. … In the traditional gumbo recipes, the pods are cooked for long amounts of time that will eventually breakdown the mucilaginous materials.

What type of fruit is okra?

Okra, (Abelmoschus esculentus), herbaceous hairy annual plant of the mallow family (Malvaceae) and its edible fruit. It is native to the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere and is widely cultivated or naturalized in the tropics and subtropics of the Western Hemisphere. Only the tender unripe fruit is eaten.

How do you clean okra?

Okra reaches maturity in 50 to 65 days. The plants can produce for ten to 12 weeks. It grows and bears seed pods until frost, which quickly turns them black and kills them. Start harvesting a few days after the okra blooms fade.

Is okra good for diabetes?

It's low in calories and has a high dietary fiber content. Recently, a new benefit of including okra in your diet is being considered. Okra has been suggested to help manage blood sugar in cases of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. … However, the okra plant does have many proven health benefits.

Can I substitute pound cake for Lady Fingers?

Biscotti — hard, twice-baked cookies — can stand-in for ladyfingers, though they must be soaked in espresso rather than dipped. Panettone, a rich, cake-like holiday bread, can be cut into fingers and dried in a gentle oven to replace the ladyfingers.

Where does okra grow?

Okra is adaptable and will grow in most soils, though it performs best in well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter. Soil should ideally be on the acidic side, with a pH between 5.8 and 7.0.

What type of vegetable is okra?

Okra. Okra (also known as gumbo), is a tall-growing, warm-season, annual vegetable from the same family as hollyhock, rose of Sharon and hibiscus. The immature pods are used for soups, canning and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable.

What family is okra in?

Vegetables are usually grouped according to the portion of the plant that is eaten such as leaves (lettuce), stem (celery), roots (carrot), tubers (potato), bulbs (onion) and flowers (broccoli). A fruit is the mature ovary of a plant. So a tomato is botanically a fruit but is commonly considered a vegetable.

Is okra a perennial?

Unless you live in a very warm, wet climate, no it is not a perennial. You will have to grow it again the following year if you want to keep having okra each year. Okra is capable of growing back again if you live in the tropics but that is about it.

How do you grow ladyfingers?

To grow okra, start by tilling the soil with fertilizer, and plant the seeds in a sunny spot in your garden. Make sure the seeds are 4 inches apart and ½ inch deep in the soil. Once planted, give the okra an inch of water every week, and be sure to weed and place compost around the plants often.

Do okra plants grow back?

Okra is simple to sow and grow. … Okra produces until frost, but older plants need reinvigorating in late summer. Do this by cutting the tall plants back to 1 to 2 feet high, allowing side branches to form that continue producing for months.

Is red okra edible?

Okra has heart shaped leaves (one species is cultivated for its edible leaves), and large, yellow, hibiscus-like flowers. The seed pods are 3 – 10 inches long, tapering, usually with ribs down its length. These tender, unripe seed pods are used as a vegetable, and have a unique texture and sweet flavor.

Is okra a legume?

Although okra looks somewhat like a legume, it is a member of the Hibiscus family and is closely related to cotton. … When properly prepared, okra is a flavorful vegetable, but when it is overcooked, the pods open up and attain a mucilaginous consistency and the result is a gluey mess.

What is Gemuse?

Gemüse n (genitive Gemüses, plural Gemüse) (uncountable, countable) vegetable; vegetables (kinds of plants)

What does okra taste like?

But when prepared or cooked properly, the okra actually has a mild flavor that some say tastes like the eggplant. Its texture though is very different simply because it is more fibrous and tender if picked at the right time. The slime that it has will also make the vegetable have a silky texture on your tongue.