Product Description

The varied health benefits of bottlegourd have long been recognized in Indian medicinal systems like Ayurveda. Bottlegourd has wonderful health-promoting and curative properties and is used as a remedy for many different ailments. The bottlegourd belongs to the cucumber family and originated in Africa, and is now available in most parts of the world. Also known as calabash, cucuzza, sorakaya, lauki, doodhi, and ghiya in various languages, this vegetable comes in different shapes, the most common being the bottle-shaped (hence the name) and round. The sizes vary from six inches in length to more than six feet. In the US, bottlegourds are available in farmer's markets, Asian grocery stores, as well as mainstream markets. This is a popular vegetable in Indian cooking. When cooked, bottlegourd can be slightly sweet or bland, and lends itself to a variety of dishes. Dried bottlegourds are used to make water bottles, bowls, musical instruments, and decorative ornaments