Okra
| Abelmoschus esculentus | |
|---|---|
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| Okra plant, with mature, and developing fruits in Hong Kong | |
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| Okra in longitudinal section | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Abelmoschus |
| Species: | A. esculentus |
| Binomial name | |
| Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench | |
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| Worldwide okra production | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Okra or okro (US /ˈoʊkrə/ or UK /ˈɒkrə/), known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, ochro or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.[2]
Vernacular names in English-speaking nations
The name okra is most often used in the UK, United States and the Philippines, with a variant pronunciation in Caribbean English and Nigeria of okro. The word okra is from the Igbo ọ́kụ̀rụ̀.[3][4] The plant and its seed pods are also known as "lady's fingers".[5] In various Bantu languages, okra is called (ki)ngombo or a variant,[6] and this is possibly the origin of the name "gumbo", used in parts of the United States and the English-speaking Caribbean (via Spanish/Portuguese "quingombo").[7]
Origin and distribution
.JPG)
Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage (proposed parents include Abelmoschus ficulneus, A. tuberculatus and a reported "diploid" form of okra). Truly wild (as opposed to naturalised) populations are not known with certainty and the species may be a cultigen.
The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins. Supporters of a South Asian origin point to the presence of its proposed parents in that region. Supporters of a West African origin point to the greater diversity of okra in that region.
The Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries used the Arabic word for the plant, bamya, suggesting it had come into Egypt from Arabia, but earlier it was probably taken from Ethiopia to Arabia. The plant may have entered southwest Asia across the Red Sea or the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to the Arabian Peninsula, rather than north across the Sahara, or from India. One of the earliest accounts is by a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with meal.[7]
From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade[8] by 1658, when its presence was recorded in Brazil. It was further documented in Suriname in 1686. Okra may have been introduced to southeastern North America from Africa in the early 18th century. By 1748, it was being grown as far north as Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson noted it was well established in Virginia by 1781. It was commonplace throughout the Southern United States by 1800, and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806.[7]
Botany and cultivation
The species is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates, and often grows to around 2 m tall. It is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. The leaves are 10–20 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers are 4–8 cm in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The fruit is a capsule up to 18 cm long with pentagonal cross-section, containing numerous seeds.
Abelmoschus esculentus is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white seeds. It is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world and will tolerate soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture, but frost can damage the pods.
In cultivation, the seeds are soaked overnight prior to planting to a depth of 1–2 cm. Germination occurs between six days (soaked seeds) and three weeks. Seedlings require ample water. The seed pods rapidly become fibrous and woody and, to be edible as a vegetable, must be harvested when immature, usually within a week after pollination.[9] Okra is available in two varieties, green and red. Red okra carries the same flavor as the more popular green okra and differs only in color. When cooked, the red okra pods turn green.[10]
The most common disease afflicting the okra plant is verticillium wilt, often causing a yellowing and wilting of the leaves. Other diseases include powdery mildew in dry tropical regions, leaf spots, and root-knot nematodes.[11]
Food
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 138 kJ (33 kcal) |
|
7.45 g | |
| Sugars | 1.48 g |
| Dietary fiber | 3.2 g |
|
0.19 g | |
|
1.9 g | |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
(5%) 36 μg |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(17%) 0.2 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(5%) 0.06 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(7%) 1 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(15%) 60 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(28%) 23 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(2%) 0.27 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(30%) 31.3 μg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(8%) 82 mg |
| Iron |
(5%) 0.62 mg |
| Magnesium |
(16%) 57 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(9%) 61 mg |
| Potassium |
(6%) 299 mg |
| Zinc |
(6%) 0.58 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 89.6 g |
|
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| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. | |
The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked; the mucilage contains soluble fiber.[12] Pods are cooked, pickled, eaten raw, or included in salads. Okra may be used in developing countries to mitigate malnutrition and alleviate food insecurity.[12]
Nutrition
Raw okra is 90% water, 2% protein, 7% carbohydrates and negligible in fat (table). In a 100 gram amount, raw okra is rich (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) in dietary fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K, with moderate contents of thiamin, folate and magnesium (table).
Leaves and seeds
Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar way to the greens of beets or dandelions.[13] The leaves are also eaten raw in salads. Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeine-free substitute for coffee.[7] When importation of coffee was disrupted by the American Civil War in 1861, the Austin State Gazette said, "An acre of okra will produce seed enough to furnish a plantation with coffee in every way equal to that imported from Rio."[14]
Greenish-yellow edible okra oil is pressed from okra seeds; it has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid.[15] The oil content of some varieties of the seed is about 40%. At 794 kg/ha, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.[16] A 1920 study found that a sample contained 15% oil.[17] A 2009 study found okra oil suitable for use as a biofuel.[18]
Bast fibre
Bast fibre from the stem of the plant has industrial uses.[19]
References
- ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ↑ National Research Council (2006-10-27). "Okra". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables. Lost Crops of Africa. 2. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10333-6. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ↑ Harper, Douglas. "okra". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ McWhorter, John H. (2000). The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact Languages. University of California Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-520-21999-6. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Alternative Cold Remedies: Lady's Fingers Plant", curing-colds.com (accessed 3 June 2009) Archived May 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "gumbo". Oxford English Dictionary (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. 1933.
- 1 2 3 4 "Okra, or 'Gumbo,' from Africa, tamu.edu
- ↑ " Okra gumbo and rice" by Sheila S. Walker, The News Courier, unknown date
- ↑ "Okra Seed" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-10-17.
- ↑ "Red Okra Information, Recipes and Facts". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- ↑ "Growing okra". Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland. 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- 1 2 Gemede, H. F.; Haki, G. D.; Beyene, F; Woldegiorgis, A. Z.; Rakshit, S. K. (2015). "Proximate, mineral, and antinutrient compositions of indigenous Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) pod accessions: Implications for mineral bioavailability". Food Science & Nutrition. 4 (2): 223–33. doi:10.1002/fsn3.282. PMC 4779480
. PMID 27004112. - ↑ network.com: Okra Greens and Corn Saute, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, 1996
- ↑ Austin State Gazette [TEX.], November 9, 1861, p. 4, c. 2, copied in Confederate Coffee Substitutes: Articles from Civil War Newspapers Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., University of Texas at Tyler
- ↑ Martin, Franklin W. (1982). "Okra, Potential Multiple-Purpose Crop for the Temperate Zones and Tropics". Economic Botany. 36 (3): 340–345. doi:10.1007/BF02858558.
- ↑ Mays, D.A., W. Buchanan, B.N. Bradford, and P.M. Giordano (1990). "Fuel production potential of several agricultural crops". Advances in New Crops: 260–263.
- ↑ Jamieson, George S.; Baughman, Walter F. (1920). "Okra Seed Oil.1". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 42: 166. doi:10.1021/ja01446a023.
- ↑ Farooq, Anwar; Umer Rashid; Muhammad Ashraf; Muhammad Nadeem (March 2010). "Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) seed oil for biodiesel production". Applied Energy. 87 (3): 779–785. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.09.020.
- ↑ De Rosa, I.M.; Kenny, J.M.; Puglia, D.; Santulli, C.; Sarasini, F. (2010). "Morphological, thermal and mechanical characterization of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) fibres as potential reinforcement in polymer composites". Composites Science and Technology. 70 (1): 116–122. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2009.09.013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abelmoschus esculentus. |
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
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Look up okra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |