Okra is commonly used in soups and stews, but their texture and flavor is enhanced when roasted or fried. It mixes well with basil, bacon, beet greens, butter, cream, garlic, ham, lemon, cabbage, onion, parsley, olive oil, chili, pepper, paprika, tomatoes, and turnips. Many stews include the cooked vegetable flavored with lemon.
Every year in Irmo, a suburb of Columbia (USA), the Irmo Okra Strut Festival takes place. It is a two-day festival where there is no shortage of parades, markets, music and dance, and above all, a lot of fun. Another interesting fact is that okra seeds were once used as a coffee substitute in World War II, creating the so-called “okra fever".
It dates back to Africa, during the times of Cleopatra in Egypt. It later spread to the rest of the world and arrived in America by a French settler who carried okra seeds.
35 calories per 100 grams. The vegetable is rich in fiber, vitamin B6, folic acid, as well as both vitamin A and C. Regular consumption of okra can help improve diabetes. It is also known to reduce cholesterol.
