Drumstick

A vegetable (Moringa oleifera) with long, slightly ridged slender pods, like elongated okra; it can be as long as two feet. Native to the Subcontinent, it is widely used, chopped into short lengths and simmered, especially in Bengal and in southern India, where it is often cooked in sambhar (see Sambhar with Drumsticks). The outer layer of the vegetable is rather tough, so the cooked pieces are eaten by being pulled between the front teeth to squeeze out the tender and delicious pulp, rather like eating artichoke leaves, and then the husks are discarded.