Goya vegetable- Where can I buy it?
Lucas
anyone direct me to a store that sell it in the Riverside, CA area?
Thanks in advance.
Steve Wertz
Do you mean the canned vegetables? Have you tried a mexican market? That's
will you'll usually find an abundance of the Goya product line.
-sw
Lucas
line.
It is actually a vegetable that is linked to very high nutrition. I will
cut and past an exert below to better describe what I am looking for:
"It is girdled in gnarled, irregular skin of the deepest green, reminiscent
of a grotesque troll out of a fantasy novel. In China it is known as foo
qua, in India it is called karela. In the Filipino tongue, it is known as
ampalaya, speakers of Spanish call it balsamina, and the Germans name it
aptly as wunder-balsamapfel. It is the king of all gourds and the ultimate
melon; it is goya - the bitter melon.
A grotesque exterior and a bad first impression sometimes cause the negative
prejudging of something truly worthwhile. The goya, which is known as
nigauri in mainland Japan or as the Chinese bitter gourd or melon in the
West, often falls victim to this kind of injustice. The goya is a member of
the gourd family and is a distant relative of the watermelon.
However, as far as looks and taste are concerned, you would never believe
that it shares anything with that sweet watery treat. The goya is shaped
like an Incredible Hulk version of a cucumber, and larger specimens are
usually eight to twelve inches in length with an average circumference of
six inches. The Okinawan goya's skin is a brilliant green, textured with
multitudes of lumps and knobs when fully ripe - almost like the vegetable
version of alligator skin. Many find the goya quite ugly or grotesque and
harshly bitter. But the goya is a dietary mainstay for many Okinawans, and
it is finally gaining worldwide notoriety and the respect it deserves."
Peter Dy
supposed to be?
Anyway, it's available at most Asian stores, especially in CA. Shouldn't be
hard for you to find.
It's really good, by the way.
Peter
"Lucas" <luuk...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3H0v9.9786$6F4.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Lucas
much interested in preparing the dish called "goya champuru" which is
supposed to be an Okinawan staple. I learned that the longest living people
on earth live in Okinawa, Japan thanks to the fact that they eat plenty of
"bitter melon" in their diet. I can't wait to find it.
http://www1.pref.tokushima.jp/kankyou/seikatsubunka/awalife/june02/goodgoya.
htm
"Peter Dy" <pet...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:W21v9.123$bg.17...@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
Peter Dy
> Thanks, Peter. I'll have to look for an Asian store in my area.
Chinese or South-East Asian stores should have it, even small stores. Maybe
Japanese stores too. Korean stores probably won't have it.
If you like it enough, you can easily grow them yourself: you can get seeds
for them at Asian stores too.
Good luck
Peter
Chris Dieckmann
> news:3H0v9.9786$6F4.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> > it is known as
> > ampalaya, speakers of Spanish call it balsamina, and the Germans name it
> > aptly as wunder-balsamapfel. It is the king of all gourds and the ultimate
> > melon; it is goya - the bitter melon.
In Mandarin, it is ku gua (ku3 gua1, literally, yes, "bitter melon") not
"foo qua" and, whatever it deserves, I doubt it'll catch on as it really
is just plain acrid. Perhaps there are growing techniques or even
cooking techniques to end up with a mellow ku gua, but I've always ended
up with a palate numbed by its sharp taste...oh well, "suan tian ku
la..." as they say.
Peter Dy
> Thanks, Peter. I'll have to look for an Asian store in my area. I'm very
> much interested in preparing the dish called "goya champuru" which is
> supposed to be an Okinawan staple. I learned that the longest living
people
> on earth live in Okinawa, Japan thanks to the fact that they eat plenty of
> "bitter melon" in their diet. I can't wait to find it.
>
http://www1.pref.tokushima.jp/kankyou/seikatsubunka/awalife/june02/goodgoya.
> htm
Looks like "goya" is what it's called in the Okinawan dialect.
The bitter melons you get here don't look as "warty" as the Okinawan kind.
They are more like the Hong Kong kind found in this website.
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergreenseeds/bitgourbitme.html
I've seen the Indian kind at Indian grocery stores here -- wow, they are
amazing-looking!
Peter
Peter Dy
"Chris Dieckmann" <chen...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.182678e96...@news.rice.edu...
> > "Lucas" <luuk...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:3H0v9.9786$6F4.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> > > In China it is known as foo qua, in India it is called karela. In the
Filipino tongue,
> > > it is known as
> > > ampalaya, speakers of Spanish call it balsamina, and the Germans name
it
> > > aptly as wunder-balsamapfel. It is the king of all gourds and the
ultimate
> > > melon; it is goya - the bitter melon.
>
> In Mandarin, it is ku gua (ku3 gua1, literally, yes, "bitter melon") not
> "foo qua"
Yeah. "Fu Gwa" is Cantonese.
and, whatever it deserves, I doubt it'll catch on as it really
> is just plain acrid. Perhaps there are growing techniques or even
> cooking techniques to end up with a mellow ku gua, but I've always ended
> up with a palate numbed by its sharp taste...oh well, "suan tian ku
> la..." as they say.
It is an acquired taste, I guess. I love its bitterness. I used to
sprinkle the sliced bitter melon with salt and let it sit a while -- this
helps get rid of some of the bitterness. I don't do that anymore though.
Peter
Lucas
I've learned a lot.
Dan Logcher
> "Lucas" <luuk...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:Ao2v9.9977$6F4.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> > Thanks, Peter. I'll have to look for an Asian store in my area. I'm very
> > much interested in preparing the dish called "goya champuru" which is
> > supposed to be an Okinawan staple. I learned that the longest living
> people
> > on earth live in Okinawa, Japan thanks to the fact that they eat plenty of
> > "bitter melon" in their diet. I can't wait to find it.
> >
> http://www1.pref.tokushima.jp/kankyou/seikatsubunka/awalife/june02/goodgoya.
> > htm
>
> Looks like "goya" is what it's called in the Okinawan dialect.
>
> The bitter melons you get here don't look as "warty" as the Okinawan kind.
> They are more like the Hong Kong kind found in this website.
> http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergreenseeds/bitgourbitme.html
>
> I've seen the Indian kind at Indian grocery stores here -- wow, they are
> amazing-looking!
Yeah, I've seen these gnarled looking things at an Asian market.
--
Dan
Ken Blake
Lucas
wrote:
> Thanks, Steve, but I did not mean canned vegetables from the
Goya
> product line.
> It is actually a vegetable that is linked to very high
nutrition. I
> will cut and past an exert below to better describe what I am
looking
> for:
>
> "It is girdled in gnarled, irregular skin of the deepest green,
> reminiscent of a grotesque troll out of a fantasy novel. In
China it
> is known as foo qua, in India it is called karela. In the
Filipino
> tongue, it is known as ampalaya, speakers of Spanish call it
> balsamina, and the Germans name it aptly as wunder-balsamapfel.
It is
> the king of all gourds and the ultimate melon; it is goya - the
> bitter melon.
I know the name "foo kwa," and I know the name "bitter melon,"
but I've never heard it called "goya" before. It's not one of my
favorites, but I like it. What language is "goya"?
--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup
Shad
"Ken Blake" <kbl...@this.is.an.invalid.domain.com> wrote in message
news:urrapva...@corp.supernews.com...
Goya is definitely an Okinawan name, as in the well known dish
Goya Chanpuru.
Shad
julia
explanation: http://japanupdate.com/previous/99/05/07/feature2.shtml (these
people take their melons seriously).
--
-j
remove 'spamno' to reply
--
"Ken Blake" <kbl...@this.is.an.invalid.domain.com> wrote in message
news:urrapva...@corp.supernews.com...
Ken Blake
> "Ken Blake" <kbl...@this.is.an.invalid.domain.com> wrote in
message
> news:urrapva...@corp.supernews.com...
>> I know the name "foo kwa," and I know the name "bitter melon,"
>> but I've never heard it called "goya" before. It's not one of
my
>> favorites, but I like it. What language is "goya"?
>>
> Goya is definitely an Okinawan name, as in the well known dish
> Goya Chanpuru.
Thanks. I never ran across either.
Lucas
found out that Albertson's will order it too.
Yes, though a tad "bitter", it actually tastes good when stir fried with
meat and other vegetable.
Thanks for the help.
Lucas
"Lucas" <luuk...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:tMLu9.7560$Fj6.6...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Tony Lew
> Just to let you know, I found "bitter melon" at an Asian market and also
> found out that Albertson's will order it too.
>
> Yes, though a tad "bitter",
They can vary greatly in bitterness the way fruits can vary in
sweetness. Sometimes you'll find some that are hardly bitter at
all, and sometimes you'll find some that are very bitter.
Peter Dy
> Just to let you know, I found "bitter melon" at an Asian market and also
> found out that Albertson's will order it too.
>
> Yes, though a tad "bitter", it actually tastes good when stir fried with
> meat and other vegetable.
>
> Thanks for the help.
Glad it worked out. There are lots of very good bitter melon dishes out
there, just ask if you want suggestions.
Peter