Okra

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus, formerly Hibiscus esculentus) is an Old World plant that was widely disseminated in Africa and Asia in prehistoric times. Some evidence suggests that it may have originated in Ethiopia. The ridged, seed-filled pods are eaten in a variety of ways. Okra’s chief distinction among vegetables is its mucilaginous nature; when cooked in liquid, it releases a gluey substance that thickens the broth.

The word “okra” clearly derives from the West African nkru ma, which indicates that the plant was brought to the Americas through the slave trade directly from Africa or indirectly through the Caribbean. Slaves grew okra in gardens on southern plantations and introduced its cookery into mainstream America. The Swedish scientist Peter Kalm reported in his Travels into North America (1748) that okra was growing in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson, in his Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), recorded that okra was cultivated there. Extensive directions for growing okra were published in Robert Squibb’s The Gardener’s Calendar for South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina (1787).