Wax gourd

"Kundol" redirects here. For the Lake, see Kundol Lake.

Winter Melon
Nearly mature winter melon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:	Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:	Benincaseae
Subtribe:	Benincasinae
Genus:	Benincasa Savi
Species:	B. hispida
Binomial name
Benincasa hispida Thunb.
Synonyms
List Benincasa cerifera Savi Benincasa cylindrica Ser. nom. inval. Benincasa pruriens (Parkinson) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes nom. inval. Benincasa vacua (F.Muell.) F.Muell. Cucurbita alba Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. Cucurbita farinosa Blume Cucurbita hispida Thunb. Cucurbita littoralis Hassk. Cucurbita pruriens Parkinson nom. inval. Cucurbita pruriens Seem. Cucurbita vacua F.Muell. Cucurbita villosa Blume Gymnopetalum septemlobum Miq.

Winter melon, (Waxgourd), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	54 kJ (13 kcal)
Carbohydrates	3 g
Dietary fiber	2.9 g
Fat	0.2 g
Protein	0.4 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Thiamine (B1) 3% 0.04 mg Riboflavin (B2) 8% 0.11 mg Niacin (B3) 3% 0.4 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 3% 0.133 mg Vitamin B6 2% 0.035 mg Vitamin C 14% 13 mg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 1% 19 mg Iron 2% 0.4 mg Magnesium 2% 10 mg Manganese 3% 0.058 mg Phosphorus 2% 19 mg Sodium 5% 111 mg Zinc 6% 0.61 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.

The winter melon, also called white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd, Chinese preserving melon, or ash gourd, is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 80 cm in length. Although the fruit is referred to as a "melon," the fully grown crop is not sweet. Originally cultivated in Southeast Asia, the winter melon is now widely grown in East Asia and South Asia as well.

Winter melon is also a common name for members of the Inodorus cultivar group of the muskmelon (Cucumis melo L), more commonly known as casaba or honeydew melons.

Uses

The winter melon requires very warm weather to grow but can be stored for many months much like winter squash. It is commonly eaten throughout winter in countries of deciduous vegetation such as China, as one of the few vegetables available during winter, hence its Chinese name literally means 'winter melon'. The winter melon can typically be stored for 12 months.

In Vietnamese cuisine, it is called bí đao, which is usually used to make soup or stew. When cooked with pork short ribs, the resulting soup can help produce more milk for breastfeeding mothers.

In Chinese cuisine the melons are used in stir fry or usually combined with pork or pork/beef bones to make winter melon soup, often served in the scooped out melon, carved by scraping off the waxy coating. It is also chopped and candied as wintermelon candy (táng dōng guā) to be commonly eaten at New Year festivals, or as filling for Sweetheart cake (lǎopó bǐng). It has also been used as the base filling in Chinese and Taiwanese mooncakes for the Moon Festival.

Winter melon is called kundol, kondol, or gondol in the Philippines. It is candied (referred to plainly as kundol)and is used as a pastry filing for bakpia (hopia in the Philippines). It is also an ingredient in some savory soups (sabaw) and stir-fries (guisado). It is one of the vegetables mentioned in the Filipino folk song "Bahay Kubo."

In North India and Pakistan, the vegetable is also used to prepare a candy called Petha. In South Indian cuisine, it is used to make curries. In Ayurvedic remedies it used to increase appetite also its fresh juice is used to cure kidney stones. The seeds are cooked in milk and taken to increase "sperm count" and to improve sperm locomotion.

Occasionally, it is used to produce a fruit drink which has a very distinctive taste. It is usually sweetened with caramelized sugar. In Southeast Asia, the drink is widely marketed as winter melon tea.

The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of the plant may also be eaten as greens.

Medicinal values of ash gourd Being grown on creepers, ash gourd, popularly known in India as petha, has the highest prana or life force that helps in making meditation practice more effective. Ash gourd, also known as Petha, is generally cultivated for its nourishing and medicinal values. Its mineral and vitamin contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. It is green in color from outside and white inside. The pethas generally used for making sweets, preparing sambar and other curries in South India. Petha juice is highly recommended for maintaining general good health and in curing many diseases. Method: Petha juice can be prepared by crushing the pieces (without the seeds but with the peel intact) in the mixer-grinder. The pulp can then be wrapped in a fabric and the juice can be squeezed with the help of your hand. One should drink it daily in the morning in an empty stomach. The juice should be taken fresh and in small sips instead of gulping it down so that the saliva mixes with the juice. Some quantity of water can be added to facilitate smooth extraction of juice in the grinder. Benefits: Being extremely low in calories, the ash gourd is used to treat obesity as it promotes metabolism and prevents sugar from converting into fat .It is highly antacid and alkaline. It maintains the PH ratio in our system for the ill effects of excessive acidity created in our stomach because of lot of intake of acidic things like soft drinks, fried and denatured food .It helps in removing constipation and tones up the general digestive system. Cough, common cold, fever, influenza, bronchitis, sinusitis can be controlled without any side effects. Any kind of severe and chronic asthma can be cured with the regular usage of this wonderful vegetable. It can also cure mouth cancer and protect the life of teeth and gums when a mouth gargle of the juice is done regularly.It is also an effective cure for Pyorrhea i.e. bleeding of gums. Being grown on creepers, it has the highest prana or life force which helps in making meditation practice more effective!

In India, Ash gourd is used to make a liquefied dish with curds or buttermilk (a popular traditional South Indian recipe).

Gallery

• 
  Winter melon
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  Seeds
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  On the vine in India
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  Chinese winter melon soup

See also

• Double steaming for a Cantonese dish called Winter melon urn (冬瓜盅).
• Sweetheart cake, a famous sweet Chinese pastry made with winter melon.

External links

• Benincasa hispida Click on Benincasa in the list on the lower left.