A vining gourd (Momordica charantia) native to South and Southeast Asia, cultivated for its distinctively bitter, warty-skinned fruit, which is eaten cooked in many Asian cuisines despite, and in some traditions because of, its pronounced bitterness. The crop is grown widely across India, China and Southeast Asia and has spread with migration to parts of Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas, where it is grown both commercially and in home gardens. Beyond its culinary use, bitter melon has a long history in traditional medicine across its native range and has drawn modern scientific interest for compounds in the fruit studied for their effects on blood sugar.
Facts
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Bitter Melon
Wikipedialead description or Wikipedia lead (crop-class)
Momordica charantia (commonly called bitter melon, gouya, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela, karavila and many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
Momordica charantia (commonly called bitter melon, gouya, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela, karavila and many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit.
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