MADRAS CUCUMBER
What’s at the heart of the ubiquitous yet mysterious Madras cucumber? Here’s splitting open this rotund south Indian vegetable to find its origins
What’s oval, about the size of a baseball and striped green and yellow all over? Is it a vegetable or a fruit? Chances are you won’t know the answer. And, yet, if you walk through a market, you wouldn’t be able to miss this distinct looking vegetable that appears to be a cross between a watermelon and a yellow pumpkin. As its name suggests, you are most likely to find a Madras cucumber in a south Indian speciality market.
The Madras cucumber is related to crunch kakdi. (Cucumbers are fruits, but for all practical purposes are prepared as vegetables.) It is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes squashes, melons and gourds, which might explain its visual similarity to gourds and melons.
The Family Tree
Not much is known about how the Madras cucumber came to acquire its moniker. Its botanical name, Cucumis Maderaspatensis, implies that the vegetable originated in the Madras region. According to botanist Avinash Khaire, this refers to the erstwhile Madras province as defined under British law, which extended to present-day Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and Kerala.
According to Hortus Kewensis or A Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, a seminal book on English horticulture, Scottish botanist William Roxburgh, known as the father of Indian
botany, introduced the Madras cucumber to India’s east coast in 1805.
Going by name alone, the Madras cucumber may seem like a close relative of Cucumis Maderaspatanus, also known as the Madras pea pumpkin, a creeper yielding small, scarlet berries. However, the two plants belong to completely different species. In fact, the Madras cucumber shares more similarities with the musk melon.
The best way to appreciate the unique qualities of the Madras cucumber is to simply slice one open. Its striped rind is tough yet yields easily. Its cream-coloured flesh (much like a musk melon’s) has the crunchy, watery texture of a cucumber yet holds its form when cooked. The seeds are edible yet mildly bitter, which is why the vegetable is often deseeded before it is used.
Most cucumbers fall into one of two categories: they are either grown to be sliced and eaten fresh (known as slicing cucumbers) or to be pickled in brine (pickling cucumbers, such as gherkins). The Madras cucumber seems to fall somewhere between these two categories: it is usually cooked and not eaten raw. Its flesh also has a slight sourness, which lends itself well to pickling.
True to its name, the Madras cucumber continues to be cultivated mainly in south India. It also finds the maximum number of uses in the cuisines of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka. Its mild flavour lends itself well to strong, fragrant preparations such as sambar. But it seems to find particular favour in traditional Mangalorean vegetarian recipes.
Name Game
Known by a variety of local names such as Mangalore Southekayi (or cucumber) and thouthe, it is used to make tangy curries and is also simply stirfried, sometimes with a coconut and raw mango paste, to make a palya or vegetable side dish.
In Andhra Pradesh, where the yellowish gourd is called dosakaya, it is used to add heft and nutritive value to tuvar dal in a dish known as dosakayapappu. It is also made into a spicy pickle called dosvakaya.
Like all other varieties of cucumbers, Madras cucumbers are an excellent source of fibre, especially when they are unpeeled. Rich in vitamins A, C, E and K, they also contain antioxidants that help to delay the ageing process. But most importantly, they have an easy, agreeable flavour that is enhanced even by simple accoutrements. That’s as good a reason as any to give these colourful gourds a try.
Content Courtesy: Good Food Magazine India
:: Vidya Balachander ETM121209
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