Monthly Articles
Okra
August 2008Okra has always been a popular vegetable in southern cuisine. "Gumbo" is derived from the word gombo, which in the West African dialect means okra. Both the word and the plant come from Ibo territory in Nigeria, at the inside corner of the continent where West Africa turns south. This okra plant grows five to ten feet tall or more.
Despite the popularity south of the Mason-Dixon Line, okra has been slow to catch on in most other parts of the country. Why? It has something to do with the slippery, slimy feel often associated with okra. This "slime" is directly related to the sticky, juicy substance hiding inside the "capsule" of the okra pod, and it tends turns a lot of people off.
When we talk of cooking okra, we mean its narrow, pointed, gooey seed pods, best picked at two to four inches before they reach full maturity. It is recommended that you select small, young okra pods, because the smaller pods are typically the tenderest. The smaller the pods (less than 3 inches and preferably closer to 2 inches) the better. Larger okra pods may be over-matured and tough. Okra should have a fresh, clean appearance, with a good green color. The caps should be light in color, as a darker cap is a sign that the okra has been stored too long. Avoid okra that looks shriveled, dry, or decayed. Keep okra cool and store it unwashed, in a plastic bag, in the refrigerator's vegetable bin. It should last for three to five days when stored in this manner. Okra is also ethylene sensitive so keep it away from away from ethylene-producing foods like apples and pears.
Okra is low in calories and high in vitamins A and C and in calcium, iron and protein. Properly prepared, it is delicious and not at all "slimy." Americans rank okra as one of their least favorite vegetables. Apparently they haven't tried whole okra sautéed in olive oil, pickled okra, or even better a big pot of tomatoes, onions and okra stew.
- Recipes featured with this article:
« Back to Monthly Articles
