Vegetables

A walk through any Indian vegetable market — okra, potatoes, brinjal, tomatoes and the various cucurbits — quickly shows how experience and cultural habit guide the choice of what is fresh, tender and suits family taste. Vegetables matter nutritionally for the potassium, fibre, folic acid and vitamins A, E and C they provide, all of which are vital to maintaining good health. Potato (Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae) originated in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia and is now grown extensively in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, with the Nilgiri and Palani hills contributing to South Indian cultivation; its tubers are boiled, steamed, fried, baked, roasted or used in soups, stews and pies, and it is also the key raw material for the chips industry, brewing, and products used in microbiological and clinical applications. Lady's Finger or Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus, family Malvaceae), native to tropical Africa and grown extensively in Coimbatore, Dharmapuri and Vellore in Tamil Nadu, is eaten as a fresh, tender green vegetable, and is often sliced and dehydrated to preserve it for later use. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus, family Cucurbitaceae) is one of the vining cucurbits — a group that also includes squash, pumpkins, melons and gourds — and is thought to have or …