Momordica charantia often called bitter melon, bitter gourd or bitter squash in English, has many other local names. Goya from the indigenous language of Okinawa where there is a large US military presence and karavella from Sanskrit are also used by English-language speakers.
It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits . Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. This is a plant of the tropics.
Bitter melon originated in India, and it was carried to China in the 14th century.
Read more about Bitter Melon: Description, Culinary Uses, Local Names, Medicinal Uses
Famous quotes containing the words bitter and/or melon:
“‘Oh the withy, the withy, the bitter withy
That has caused me to smart,
The withy shall be the very first tree
Fort to perish all at the heart.’”
—Unknown. The Bitter Withy (l. 31–34)
“I unknit.
Words fly out of place
and I, long into the desert,
drink and drink
and bow my head to that meadow
the breast, the melon in it....”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)