What Is Okra?
Okra is the edible green fruit from the okra plant. Amongst other names, okra is also called ladies, or lady’s, fingers and, in the southern United States, it is also known as gumbo.
Bhindi bhaji is a delicious Indain curry that contain okra and there’s a great Curry Focus recipe for bhindi bhaji here.
Originally, okra came from the banks of the Nile, in Africa, and now grows in tropical climates all around the world.
The okra fruit is a pod that grows up to 7 inches with the best ones for cooking being between 3 and 4 inches in length.
Okra pods have a sticky interior and with the seeds in the center.
When cooked, the whole okra fruit is eaten. And it is delicious.
Why are they called ladies fingers, I hear you ask? Because they are slender, smooth and about the length of a finger. But I, for one, don’t really want to meet a lady with green fingers. Do you?
