Okra - not so popular in California, but very much so in the South - it is after all the essential ingredient in gumbo. In American cuisine it is traditionally paired with shrimp, but okra is also very common in African, Carribean, Indian, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines in sauces, stews, and side dishes. Okra is the flowering part of a plant related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus, that contains MANY seeds inside (so here's another veggie that's actually a fruit!). I had never had okra in my life until two years ago when I tasted a spicy red curry dish at the Restaurant, but still have never cooked it at home until now. I tried them sauteed with olive oil, white onion, garlic, and lemon juice in a sauce from 1 can of diced tomatoes. I'm partway to gumbo, right??
HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:
+ 1 cup has only 31 calories: 0g fat, 7g carbs (3g dietary fiber, 1g sugars), 2g protein
+ provides 35% daily vitamin C, 66% vitamin K, 22% folate, 50% manganese, and good amounts of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous...and the list goes on!
+ contains nearly all essential amino acids in the seeds (though only 2g total)
+ is known to relieve constipation from the "mucilagen" and fiber contained within the pods (the material holding all the seeds)
FUN FACTS:
+ it was brought to the US from Africa in the slave trade
+ okra leaves can also be eaten raw in salads or sauteed (though where one buys okra leaves I have no idea)
+ okra has been around atleast 12 centuries B.C., as the ancient Egyptians reported it in their cuisine
+ overcooking it leads to "okra slime", from the heat's affect on the inner mucilagen. This can also be minimized by trimming the ends of the pod
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