Okra is Different
There are certain foods that are in their own niche and are different from the competition. Not only from a taste perspective but also from a textural sense. Okra is a vegetable that fits this description. It is a polarizing veggie. On a spectrum of hate it or love it, people land on either side of the extreme.
Tellïo finds okra very pleasant and vital to his diet. Okra is commonly used in India and Pakistan. But there's been instances where Tellïo has had to inform his colleagues that okra is not restricted to South East Asia. He grew up eating okra. It is a common ingredient in the West Indies, Brazil, Africa ,the southern part of the United States and the Mediterranean. Popular dishes are gumbo (USA), caruru (Brazil), okro soup (Nigeria), and quimbombó guisado (Cuba & Puerto Rico) to name a few.
Cooked okra has a distinctive peppery smell that hypnotizes Tellïo and makes him drool. He sautés them in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with chopped onions, cilantro and mushrooms. Probably one of his favorite ways to start the weekend. Okra's overall taste is a blend of green beans and eggplant. The texture part is more complex. It is either chewy, slick and seedy or crunchy, solid and dry. Influential factors for the texture are harvest time, maturity of the okra, and cooking practices. Case in point: Fried okra can be firm and crunchy while in a stew, it is loose and slimy. When Tellïo is pressed for time, he boils his okra and drizzles them with EVOO. With no shame, he drinks the liquid content that's released during the cooking process. Almost nothing goes to waste in Tellïo household.
Okra's slimy and seedy texture are its two main attributes that attract or deter consumers. The mucilaginous substance aka the slime that's released while cooking has vital components for human health. It can help soothe the digestive tract and combat opportunitistic bacteria attacking the gut microbiome (healthy gut bacteria). Other benefits of okra include but are not limited to:
Fibre content - helpful for digestive health
Gut health - feeds the healthy bacteria
Anti-inflammatory - reduces inflammation in the gut lining (the slime)
Regulates blood sugar - improves glucose metabolism
Promotes weight loss - low in calories
Thickening agent - thickens stew and soup via the slime
Emulsifier - combines water and oil-based ingredients
Although Tellïo is a fan favorite of okra, this vegetable when eaten in large quantities can give someone bubbleguts. Whenever Tellïo gets outta pocket and eat a decent amount of okra, he will pay the price later in the day. Okra has the potential to act as a natural laxative because of its fibre content and the slime. This is a friendly recommendation to eat okra with the understanding that too much equates to a bowel movement rush. Overall, okra is a great veggie to add to your nutritional plan because of it attributes and adds diversity to your meals. As always, Stay Strong & Stay Vivid!
Reference:
Elkhalifa AEO, Alshammari E, Adnan M, Alcantara JC, Awadelkareem AM, Eltoum NE, Mehmood K, Panda BP, Ashraf SA. Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus) as a Potential Dietary Medicine with Nutraceutical Importance for Sustainable Health Applications. Molecules. 2021 Jan 28;26(3):696. doi: 10.3390/molecules26030696. PMID: 33525745; PMCID: PMC7865958.
Romdhane MH, Chahdoura H, Barros L, Dias MI, Carvalho Gomes Corrêa R, Morales P, Ciudad-Mulero MFH, Flamini GCFR, Majdoub H, Ferreira ICFR. Chemical Composition, Nutritional Value, and Biological Evaluation of Tunisian Okra Pods (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). Molecules. 2020 Oct 15;25(20):4739. doi: 10.3390/molecules25204739. PMID: 33076530; PMCID: PMC7587556.
Omid Nikpayam, Ehsan Safaei, Nazgol Bahreini, Maryam Saghafi-Asl. The effects of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) products on glycemic control and lipid profile: A comprehensive systematic review. Journal of Functional Foods. Volume 87. 2021. 104795. ISSN 1756-4646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2021.104795.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464621004448).
