Peria

Momordica charantia (Java, pare). If you buy this in tins in London it will probably be labelled ‘Bitter Cucumber’, though the reference books suggest other names for it such as Balsam Cucumber, Bitter Gourd and Maiden’s Blush. Another Indonesian name, Periok, recalls a word for a cooking pot and also the name of the seaport of Jakarta, Tanjung Priok. Peria grows on tall vines and is a knobbly, unattractive-looking object which, cooked, is very good to eat, if you like this rather bittertasting kind of vegetable. It is not unlike an unpickled gherkin. It is also said, in some quarters, to be good against evil spirits. See illustration.