OKRA

OKRA
Okra or okro (US: /ˈoʊkrə/, UK: /ˈɒkrə/), Abelmoschus esculentus, known in some English-speaking
countries as lady's fingers,[2][3] is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods.
The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, Southeast Asian,
and South Asian origins. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the
world, okra is used in the cuisines of many countries.[4]
Etymology
Abelmoschus is Neo-Latin from Arabic ‫( َأبُو ال ِمسْك‬ʾabū l-misk, "father of musk"),[5] while esculentus is
Latin for being fit for human consumption.[6]
The first use of the word okra (alternatively; okro or ochro) appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia,
deriving from the Igbo word ọ́kụ̀ rụ̀ .[7] The word gumbo was first used in American vernacular around
1805, deriving from Louisiana Creole,[8] but originates from either the Umbundu word ochinggômbo[9]
or the Kimbundu word ki-ngombo.[10] Despite the fact that in most of the United States the word
gumbo often refers to the dish, gumbo, many places in the Deep South may have used it to refer to the
pods and plant as well as many other variants of the word found across the African diaspora in the
Americas.[11]
Origin and distribution
Whole plant with blossom and immature pod
Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage. However, proposed parents include Abelmoschus

ficulneus, A. tuberculatus and a reported "diploid" form of okra.[12] Truly wild (as opposed to
naturalised) populations are not known with certainty, and the West African variety has been described
as a cultigen.[13]
Humans have known okra since ancient times, and in the Greek and Roman eras that passed through
Egypt, okra was planted and carved images of it were found on Pharaonic temples, and it is endemic in
generally hot regions in Africa and Asia. Okra originated in tropical Africa and was cultivated in the
Middle East and India for a long time, and in the nineteenth century AD wild okra plants were seen on
the banks of the White Nile in Sudan. Okra was introduced for the first time to Europe by the Umayyad
conquest of Hispania, One of the earliest European accounts is by Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati who visited
Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods
with meal.[14] From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward.
[15]
Plants about one week after germination (Oklahoma, USA)

The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade[16] 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.[17] 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.[14]
Botany and cultivation
Pollen grains
Cross-section of a pod
The species is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates, often growing to around
2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. As a member of the Malvaceae, it is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and
hibiscus. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The
flowers are 4–8 centimetres (1+5⁄8–3+1⁄8 in) in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red
or purple spot at the base of each petal. The pollens are spherical and approximately 188 microns in
diameter. The fruit is a capsule up to 18 centimetres (7 in) 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 centimetres (3⁄8–13⁄16 in). It prefers a soil temperature of at least 20 °C (68 °F) for germination, which
occurs between six days (soaked seeds) and three weeks. As a tropical plant, it also requires a lot of
sunlight, and it should also be cultivated in soil that has a pH between 5.8 and 7, ideally on the acidic
side.[18] 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.[19]
The first harvest will typically be ready about 2 months after planting, and it will be approximately 2–3
inches (51–76 mm) long.[18]
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, yellow
mosaic and root-knot nematodes. Resistance to yellow mosaic virus in A. esculentus was transferred
through a cross with Abelmoschus manihot and resulted in a new variety called Parbhani kranti.[20]
In the United States much of the supply is grown in Florida, especially around Dade in southern Florida.
[21][22] Okra is grown throughout the state to some degree, so okra is available ten months of the year.
[21] Yields range from less than 18,000 pounds per acre (20,000 kg/ha) to over 30,000 pounds per acre
(34,000 kg/ha).[21] Wholesale prices can go as high as $18/bushel which is $0.60 per pound ($1.3/kg).
[21] The Regional IPM Centers provide integrated pest management plans for use in the state.[21]
Culinary
Okra is one of three thickeners that may be used in gumbo soup from Louisiana.[24] Fried okra is a dish
from the Cuisine of the Southern United States. In Cuba and Puerto Rico, the vegetable is referred to as
quimbombó, and is used in dishes such as quimbombó guisado (stewed okra), a dish similar to gumbo.
[25][26] It is also used in traditional dishes in the Dominican Republic, where it is called molondrón.[27]
In South Asia, the pods are used in many spicy vegetable preparations as well as cooked with beef,
mutton, lamb and chicken.[28][29]
Pods
Stir-fried sliced okra fruits
The pods of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods
are cooked; the mucilage contains soluble fiber.[30] One possible way to de-slime okra is to cook it with
an acidic food, such as tomatoes, to minimize the mucilage.[31] Pods are cooked, pickled, eaten raw, or
included in salads. Okra may be used in developing countries to mitigate malnutrition and alleviate food
insecurity.[30]
Leaves and seeds
Young okra leaves may be cooked similarly to the greens of beets or dandelions, or used in salads. Okra
seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeine-free substitute for coffee.[14] 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."[32]
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.[33] The oil content of some varieties of the seed is
about 40%. At 794 kilograms per hectare (708 lb/acre), the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower
oil in one trial.[34] A 1920 study found that a sample contained 15% oil.[35]
Industrial
Bast fibre from the stem of the plant has industrial uses such as the reinforcement of polymer
composites.[36] The mucilage produced by the okra plant can be used for the removal of turbidity from
wastewater by virtue of its flocculant properties.[37][38] Having composition similar to a thick
polysaccharide film, okra mucilage is under development as a biodegradable food packaging, as of 2018.
[39] A 2009 study found okra oil suitable for use as a biofuel.[40]

OKRA

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OKRA

Origin and distribution

Whole plant with blossom and immature pod

Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage. However, proposed parents include Abelmoschus

Plants about one week after germination (Oklahoma, USA)

Botany and cultivation

Stir-fried sliced okra fruits

Leaves and seeds

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