Sponge Gourd / Luffa

Also known asLuffa · Loofah · Turai · Gourd Luffa · Luffa aegyptiaca · 丝瓜

Name: Sponge gourd, also called luffa, loofah or smooth luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca and Luffa cylindrica) — a long, smooth, cylindrical green gourd, eaten when young as a vegetable. When mature and dried, its fibrous interior becomes the loofah sponge. A related ridged type has its own page.

Description

Sponge gourd is native to Asia, probably India, and has been cultivated for thousands of years in Asia and Africa, both as a food and as a source of natural sponges. Young fruits are eaten in India (as turai), China (si gua), Vietnam and the Philippines, in soups, stir-fries and curries.

The young gourd is soft, tender and slightly sweet, with a texture like zucchini, and absorbs flavours. As it matures, the flesh turns fibrous and bitter, and the dried fibre is used as a bath and kitchen sponge, and as a filter.

Main nutrition value

Sponge gourd is very low in calories, and provides vitamin C, vitamin A, fibre, magnesium and some iron, with a high water content.

How best to be consumed

Sponge gourd is eaten while young, and cooked.

Peel, slice into rounds, and stir-fry with garlic, egg or shrimp, or add to soups and noodle dishes.
Cook with mung beans or lentils, or in curries, as in Indian turai dishes.
Cook quickly, since it softens and releases water fast.
Taste a small piece raw, and discard the gourd if it is bitter.
Choose small, tender, young gourds.

Overconsumption could cause…

Sponge gourd is safe when young and mild.

Toxic squash syndrome from cucurbitacins, natural compounds that make a squash or gourd intensely bitter, and which can cause severe stomach upset, hair loss and even death in rare cases, so always taste a little raw and discard the whole fruit if it is very bitter.
Tough, fibrous texture and bitterness in mature gourds.
Digestive upset from large amounts.
Allergic reactions in rare cases.

GroupsSquash and Gourds Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)Indian Fresh

Wikipedia — Luffa, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa