Okra#Food and uses

The species is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates, often growing to around {{convert|2|m|ftin}} tall. As a member of the Malvaceae, it is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. The leaves are {{convert|10–20|cm|in|0}} long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers are {{convert|4–8|cm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base. The pollen grains are spherical and approximately 188 microns in diameter. The fruit is a capsule up to {{convert|18|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long with pentagonal cross-section, containing numerous seeds.

{{lang|la|Abelmoschus}} is Neo-Latin from {{langx|ar|أَبُو المِسْك|ʾabū l-misk|father of musk}},{{Cite web|title=Definition of Abelmoschus|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Abelmoschus|access-date=2020-06-23|publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|language=en}} while {{lang|la|esculentus}} is Latin for being fit for human consumption.{{Cite web|title=Latin definition for esculentus, esculenta, esculentum (ID: 19365)|publisher=Latin Dictionary and Grammar Resources - Latdict|url=https://latin-dictionary.net/definition/19365/esculentus-esculenta-esculentum#:~:text=esculentus,%20esculenta,%20esculentum,food,%20fit%20to%20be%20eaten|access-date=2020-06-23|date=2020}}

Okra is known as bhindi ({{IPA|pa|pɪɳ˩˨.ɖiː|pron|link=yes|cat=no}}; {{langx|pa|ਭਿੰਡੀ/بھنڈی/پنڈی|rtl=yes}})({{IPA|ur|bʱɪnɖiː|pron|link=yes|cat=no}}; {{langx|ur|بھنڈی|rtl=yes}}) in Pakistan, where it is the national vegetable.{{Cite web |last=Ahmad |first=Zaheer |date=2021-06-22 |title=Okra: Pakistan's National Vegetable |url=https://www.newsmakers.com.pk/en/blog/okra-pakistans-national-vegetable/134/ |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=NewsMakers-Daily Latest Urdu Breaking News Updates |language=en-US}}

The first use of the word okra (alternatively; okro or ochro) appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia, deriving from {{langx|ig|ọ́kwụ̀rụ̀}}.{{Cite web|title=Definition of okra|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/okra|access-date=2020-06-23|publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|date=2020}} The word gumbo was first used in American English around 1805, derived from Louisiana Creole,{{Cite web|title=Gumbo: The mysterious history|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/12/gumbo-the-mysterious-history/32659/|author=Justin Vogt|access-date=2020-06-23|publisher=The Atlantic|date=2009-12-29}} but originates from either {{langx|umb|ochinggõmbo}}{{Cite web|title=Definition of gumbo|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumbo|access-date=2020-06-23|publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|date=2020}} or {{langx|kmb|kingombo}}.{{Cite web|title=Many food names in English come from Africa|url=https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/4241283.html|access-date=2020-06-23|website=VOA|date=2018-02-06}} Even though the word gumbo often refers to the dish gumbo in most of the United States, 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.{{Cite web|title=A short history of gumbo|author=Stanley Dry|url=https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/a-short-history-of-gumbo/|access-date=2020-06-23|publisher=Southern Foodways Alliance|date=2020}}

File:Okra(Abelmoschus esculentus).JPG

Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage. However, proposed parents include Abelmoschus ficulneus, A. tuberculatus and a reported diploid form of okra.{{Cite journal |last=Patel |first=S. R. |title=GENETIC ADVANCE UNDER SELECTION IN SEGREGATING POPULATION IN OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328759388 |journal=AGRES – an International E. Journal}} Truly wild (as opposed to naturalised) populations are not known with certainty, and the West African variety has been described as a cultigen.{{cite book |title=Vegetables |date=2004 |publisher=Backhuys |isbn=9057821478 |location=Wageningen, Netherlands |page=21}}

Okra originated in East Africa in Ethiopia, Eritrea and eastern Sudan."Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)", pp. 216–224 in: {{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-814383-4.00011-6 |chapter=Vegetable Production |title=Food Crop Production by Smallholder Farmers in Southern Africa |date=2018 |last1=Muimba-Kankolongo |first1=Ambayeba |pages=205–274 |isbn=978-0-12-814383-4 }} From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. Okra was introduced to Europe by the Umayyad conquest of Hispania.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} One of the earliest accounts is by Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati, who visited Ayyubid Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender young pods with meal.{{cite book |last1=Blench |first1=R. |title=Archaeology, Language, and the African Past |date=2006 |publisher=Rowman Altamira |isbn=978-0-7591-0466-2 |pages=237 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esFy3Po57A8C&dq=okra&pg=PA237 |language=en}}

The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade{{cite web |title=Okra, Gumbo, & Rice |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000138452 |website=unesdoc.unesco.org}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Colonial Food In Philadelphia - 1883 Words {{!}} Internet Public Library|url=https://www.ipl.org/essay/Colonial-Food-In-Philadelphia-FCQJKU678SB|access-date=2021-11-09|website=www.ipl.org}} 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.

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 {{convert|1–2|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}}. It prefers a soil temperature of at least {{convert|20|C}} 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.{{Cite web|last=Almanac|first=Old Farmer's|title=Okra|url=https://www.almanac.com/plant/okra|access-date=2021-04-29|website=Old Farmer's Almanac|language=en}} 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 of pollination.{{cite web|url=http://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Okra_Seed.pdf|title=Okra seed|author=Kurt Nolte|publisher=Yuma County Cooperative Extension|access-date=2012-10-17|archive-date=2014-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031143119/http://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Okra_Seed.pdf|url-status=dead}} The first harvest will typically be ready about 2 months after planting, and the pods will be approximately {{convert|2-3|in}} long.

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.{{Cite book|title=Plant breeding, Chapter 9.2 |url=https://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/l/lebo109.pdf|publisher=Strategies For Enhancement in Food Production|date=2020}}

In the U.S. much of the supply is grown in Florida, especially around Dade in southern Florida.{{cite web | publisher=Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers Database | title=Southern Florida 2005 Okra PMSP | date=2022-05-04 | url=http://ipmdata.ipmcenters.org/source_report.cfm?view=yes&sourceid=1040 | access-date=2022-06-30}}{{cite book | last1=Aguiar | first1=José L | last2=McGiffen | first2=Milt | last3=Natwick | first3=Eric | last4=Takele | first4=Etaferahu | title=Okra Production in California | publisher=University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-60107-002-9 | doi=10.3733/ucanr.7210 | pages=3 | id=7210}} Okra is grown throughout the state to some degree, so okra is available ten months of the year. Yields range from less than {{convert|18,000|lb/acre}} to over {{convert|30,000|lb/acre}}. Wholesale prices can go as high as $18/bushel which is {{convert|0.60|$/lb}}. The Regional IPM Centers provide integrated pest management plans for use in the state.

In 2023, world production of okra was 11.5 million tonnes, led by India with 62% of the total, and Nigeria and Mali as secondary producers (table).

{{nutritional value| name=Okra, raw

| kJ=138

| water=89.6 g

| protein=1.9 g

| fat = 0.19 g

| carbs=7.46 g

| fibre=3.3 g

| sugars=1.48 g

| calcium_mg=82

| iron_mg=0.62

| magnesium_mg=57

| potassium_mg=299

| phosphorus_mg=61

| zinc_mg=0.58

| vitC_mg=23

| thiamin_mg=0.2

| riboflavin_mg=0.06

| niacin_mg=1

| folate_ug=60

| vitA_ug=36

| vitE_mg=0.27

| vitK_ug=31.3

| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169260/nutrients Link to Full USDA Database entry]

}}

Raw okra is 90% water, 7% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and has negligible fat (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, raw okra supplies 33 calories, and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C and vitamin K (table). It has moderate content (10-19% DV) of thiamine, folate, magnesium, and potassium (table).

Okra is one of three thickeners that may be used in gumbo soup from Louisiana.{{cite book |last=Gutierrez |first=C. Paige |date=1992 |title=Cajun Foodways |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |page=56 |isbn=978-0-87805-563-0}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Cuban Quimbombo (Afro-Cuban Okra)|url=https://thelatinkitchen.com/blogs/kitchen/cuban-quimbombo-afro-cuban-okra|author=Julie Schwietert Collazo|publisher=The Latin Kitchen|access-date=2020-10-21|archive-date=2020-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023040548/https://thelatinkitchen.com/blogs/kitchen/cuban-quimbombo-afro-cuban-okra|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=QUIMBOMBÓ GUISADO|url=https://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/quimbombo-guisado-recipe|author=Gloria Cabada-Leman|date=22 June 2008|publisher=whats4eats|access-date=2020-10-21}} It is also used in traditional dishes in the Dominican Republic, where it is called molondrón.{{Cite web|url=https://www.diariolibre.com/revista/el-intrpido-molondrn-EPDL347993|title = El intrépido molondrón| date=15 August 2012 |language=es|publisher=Diario Libre|accessdate=2022-08-29}} In Brazil, it is an important component of several regional dishes, such as caruru, made with shrimp, in the Northeastern region, and frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) and carne refogada com quiabo (stewed meat with okra) in Minas Gerais.

In South Asia, the pods are used in many spicy vegetable preparations as well as cooked with beef, mutton, lamb and chicken.{{cite book |last1=Willis |first1=Virginia |title=Okra: a Savor the South cookbook. |date=2014 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-4696-1442-7 |pages=75–82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icIBAwAAQBAJ&dq=okra+india++bhindi+recipe&pg=PP1 |access-date=22 December 2021}}{{cite book |last1=Taylor Sen |first1=Colleen |title=Food culture in India |date=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Connecticut |isbn=0-313-32487-5 |pages=60,150 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YIyV_5wrplMC&dq=okra+%22indian+cuisine%22+cooking++sen&pg=PA1 |access-date=22 December 2021}}

{{anchor|Okra bean}}

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.{{cite journal|pmid=27004112|pmc=4779480|year=2015|last1=Gemede|first1=H. F.|title=Proximate, mineral, and antinutrient compositions of indigenous Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) pod accessions: Implications for mineral bioavailability|journal=Food Science & Nutrition|volume=4|issue=2|pages=223–33|last2=Haki|first2=G. D.|last3=Beyene|first3=F|last4=Woldegiorgis|first4=A. Z.|last5=Rakshit|first5=S. K.|doi=10.1002/fsn3.282}} One possible way to de-slime okra is to cook it with an acidic food, such as tomatoes, to minimize the mucilage.{{cite web |author1=Jill Neimark |title=Leave it to botanists to turn cooking into a science lesson |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/05/641615142/leave-it-to-botanists-to-turn-cooking-into-a-science-lesson |publisher=US National Public Radio |access-date=26 June 2020 |date=5 September 2018}} Pods are cooked, pickled, eaten raw, or included in salads. Okra may be used in developing countries to mitigate malnutrition and alleviate food insecurity.

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. 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."Austin State Gazette [TEX.], November 9, 1861, p. 4, c. 2, copied in [http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm Confederate Coffee Substitutes: Articles from Civil War Newspapers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928062031/http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm |date=September 28, 2007 }}, University of Texas at Tyler

{{Anchor|Oil}}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.{{cite journal|title=Okra, Potential Multiple-Purpose Crop for the Temperate Zones and Tropics|author= Martin, Franklin W.|volume=36|year=1982|pages=340–345|journal=Economic Botany|doi=10.1007/BF02858558|issue=3|bibcode= 1982EcBot..36..340M|s2cid= 38546395}} The oil content of some varieties of the seed is about 40%. At {{convert|794|kg/ha}}, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.{{cite book |vauthors=Mays, D A, Buchanan, W, Bradford , B N, Giordano, P M |chapter=Fuel production potential of several agricultural crops |pages=260–263 |editor1-last=Janick |editor1-first=Jules |editor2-last=Simon |editor2-first=James E. |title=Advances in New Crops: Proceedings of the First National Symposium NEW CROPS, Research, Development, Economics, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 23-26, 1988 |date=1990 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-166-3 }}

Bast fibre from the stem of the plant has industrial uses such as the reinforcement of polymer composites.{{cite journal |author1=De Rosa, I.M. |author2=Kenny, J.M. |author3=Puglia, D. |author4=Santulli, C. |author5=Sarasini, F. |year=2010 |title=Morphological, thermal and mechanical characterization of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) fibres as potential reinforcement in polymer composites |journal=Composites Science and Technology |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=116–122 |doi=10.1016/j.compscitech.2009.09.013}} The mucilage produced by the okra plant can be used for the removal of turbidity from wastewater by virtue of its flocculant properties.{{Citation|title=Flocculation behavior of mallow and okra mucilage in treating wastewater |author1=Konstantinos Anastasakis|author2=Dimitrios Kalderis|author3= Evan Diamadopoulos |journal=Desalination |year=2009 |volume=249 |issue=2 |pages=786–791 |doi=10.1016/j.desal.2008.09.013 |bibcode=2009Desal.249..786A }}{{Citation|title=Study on Flocculation Efficiency of Okra Gum in Sewage Waste Water |author1=Monika Agarwal|author2 = Rajani Srinivasan|author3 = Anuradha Mishra |journal=Macromolecular Materials and Engineering |year=2001 |volume=286 |issue=9 |pages=560–563 |doi=10.1002/1439-2054(20010901)286:9<560::AID-MAME560>3.0.CO;2-B }} Having composition similar to a thick polysaccharide film, okra mucilage is under development as a biodegradable food packaging, as of 2018.{{cite journal |last1=Araújo |first1=Antonio |last2=Galvão |first2=Andrêssa |last3=Filho |first3=Carlos Silva |last4=Mendes |first4=Francisco |last5=Oliveira |first5=Marília |last6=Barbosa |first6=Francisco |last7=Filho |first7=Men Sousa |last8=Bastos |first8=Maria |title=Okra mucilage and corn starch bio-based film to be applied in food |journal=Polymer Testing |date=October 2018 |volume=71 |pages=352–361 |doi=10.1016/j.polymertesting.2018.09.010 }} A 2009 study found okra oil suitable for use as a biofuel.{{cite journal |last1=Anwar |first1=Farooq |last2=Rashid |first2=Umer |last3=Ashraf |first3=Muhammad |last4=Nadeem |first4=Muhammad |title=Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) seed oil for biodiesel production |journal=Applied Energy |date=March 2010 |volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=779–785 |doi=10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.09.020 |bibcode=2010ApEn...87..779A }}

File:Giant okra.jpg|A giant okra pod

File:Okra blossom with pollen.png|Flower close-up

File:Lady's finger (stamen and pollen).jpg|Stamen and pollen

File:Okra seedling, hydroponic, 7days.JPG|Young seedling showing cotyledons

File:Oklahoma-grown okra.jpg|Fresh-picked fruits

File:Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) cross-section - 20080613.png|Cross-section of a pod

File:Stir-Fried-Okra-2008.jpg|Stir-fried sliced okra fruits

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{{Commons category|Abelmoschus esculentus}}

{{Cookbook|Okra}}

{{Wiktionary}}

{{WestAfricanPlants|Abelmoschus esculentus}}

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Category:Igbo words and phrases

Category:Abelmoschus

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Category:Medicinal plants of Africa

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