Bitter gourds

Bitter gourds are the ovoid orange-yellow fruits of the tropical climber Momordica charantia. Also known as balsam pears, the fruits have a characteristic bitter taste, reducible by salt-water treatment and by choosing young fruits. They suit raw salads, cooking as a vegetable, pickles and curries, and their vitamin, mineral and essential-amino-acid content matches or exceeds other Cucurbitaceae. Young shoots can also serve as a spinach substitute. Valued in traditional cuisines and studied for blood-sugar effects, they exemplify how bitterness, usually a warning signal, becomes a sought-after flavour in the right culinary context.