TROPICAL TASTE: Okra...the edible hibiscus

Also called "gumbo" in some regions of the country, the okra (Hibiscus esculentus) is thought to be originally from the Angola and Congo areas of Africa. 

The original Angolan name for okra is believed to be quillobo and the name by which it is known in the Congo is quingombo.  The term "gumbo" is believed to be a Portuguese corruption of the African names for this vegetable plant.

In the Unites States the term "gumbo" is more often applied to some soups or other dishes that contain okra.  The word okra has been in use since the late 1700s and derives from the West African 'nkruma'.  Grown in tropical and warm temperate climates, it is in the same family as the tropical hibiscus and cotton plants.

Okra was not known in the New World until Spanish colonizers started bringing slaves from Africa to work the sugar fields.  The Africans brought with them the seeds of what they called "kin gumbo" which eventually was bastardized to "quimbombo" as it is known in Spanish. 

Some of you might have noticed there are many similarities between the foods of the Caribbean and the foods of Louisiana.

The original colonizers of many Caribbean islands and of Louisiana were French and Spanish.  They brought with them knowledge of haute cuisine from their countries.  Many ingredients needed for the food with which they were familiar were not available in the "New World" and eventually, by substituting locally available ingredients and those brought with them by the black slaves, a new Creole cuisine emerged.

The French's desire to recreate their beloved bouillabaisse by substituting ingredients not available with the local ones resulted in what is now called gumbo in Louisiana, which incorporated the local seafood with dark roux and kin gumbo or okra.

The Spanish recreated their paellas with available ingredients resulted in using shrimp and local crawfish with ham and ended up adding fresh local vegetables such as quinbombo or okra, to the rice and jambalaya was born!

The terms "Creole" and "Criollo or Criolla" are the French and Spanish words for what was the offspring from marriages between French and Spanish colonizers, both in Louisiana and the Caribbean.  Today this term mostly identifies the cuisines of the areas that were colonized by them.

Okra can be found in some areas as a year-round crop.  It is also available frozen or pickled.  Growing on the plant, okra matures fast and should be picked when still tender, free of blemishes and no more than 4 inches long.  If left to grow larger, it will get tough and woody.

One of the unique properties of okra is that it releases a sticky substance with thickening properties, which is useful for soups and stews.  Gumbo, Brunswick stew and some rice pilafs are a sample of the better known dishes in which okra is one of the ingredients.  Okra can be served raw, marinated in salads or cooked on its own, and goes well with tomatoes, onions, corn, peppers and egplants.  Whole, fresh okra pods also make excellent pickles.

To store fresh okra: Store in refrigerator, unwashed, kept in brown paper bag for 3 or 4 days.  If you prefer to store in plastic bags, it will keep 2 to 3 days, but be sure to wrap dry okra in paper towels and that the plastic bag is perforated.

Okra may be frozen for up to 12 months after blanching, whole for 2 minutes in rapidly boiling water.  Cooked okra can be stored, tightly covered,  in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Here is an easy and quick recipe for pickled okra if you're not into canning.  They can be eaten within 24 hours, after making and refrigerating

Pickled Okra - Icebox Style

1 pound fresh okra

1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt

3 cups white vinegar

1 Tablespoon white peppercorns

Whole tiny Hawaiian chile peppers - similar to Tabasco chile peppers

1 head whole peeled garlic cloves

Wash and trim the okra, taking care to not cut the stem too close to the neck, since that will release too much of the sticky gooeyness.

In a 5 cup open mouth glass jar with tight-fitting lid, combine okra and salt.  In a non-reactive saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar and peppercorns to a rolling boil; pour over okra.  Add the chile peppers and peeled garlic.  Keep okra completely covered in the vinegar by weighing down with a small saucer or plate.  Cover with vented plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill for 24 hours before serving.

Recipe can be easily doubled.

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Sonia R. Martinez is a Gather Food Correspondent.

You can keep up with Tropical Taste a regular twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials: Food

Sonia is a cookbook author and freelance food writer for several publications in Hawaii and is also a Hawaii Island Journal restaurant reviewer in partnership with her son Anthony Mathis.

She lives in a beautiful rural rainforest area on the Big Island of Hawaii
You can keep up with her adventures and ongoing love affair with Hawaii in her food & garden blog at Sonia Tastes Hawaii and her Gather contributions by clicking on http://foodiesleuth.gather.com/