FREE: Loofah, Luffa Seeds

Luffa are best eaten when small (less than 12 cm) and still green.

In Vietnam, Vietnamese gourds are called "mướp hương" and is a common ingredient in soups and stir fried dishes.

In Karnataka's Malenadu (Western Ghats) it is known as tuppadahirekayi, which literally translates as "buttersquash". It grows naturally in this region and is consumed when it is still tender and green. It is mostly used as a vegetable in curries, but also as a snack, bhajji, dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried. Once the fruit dries out, it is used as a natural scrubber and washing sponge.

In Andhrapradesh, it's called adavi beera which means wild ridge gourd. It is used as a vegetable for curry or stir fried.

In Kerala, it is called Peechinga. It is used as a vegetable, cooked with dal or stir fried. Fully matured fruit is used as a natural scrub in rural Kerala. In some places like Wayanad, this grows like a creeper on fences.

In Maharashtra, India, dodka (ridge gourd luffa) and ghosavala (smooth luffa) are common vegetables prepared with either crushed dried peanuts or with beans. In Northern India as well as Pakistan, turai (thoo-raee) is the common name for luffa. In Eastern India, It is also known as "jhinga" or "nenua". In Nepal it is called "ghiraunla". In Tamil Nadu it is called "peerkangai".

In China, Indonesia (where it is called gambas), the Philippines (where it is called patola) and Manipur, India, (where it is called sebot) the luffa is eaten as a green vegetable in various dishes. It is also known as "Chinese okra" in Canada. In Spanish, it is called an estropajo.