Goya
In the Okinawan dialect, Nigauri is called Goya. A member of the gourd family, Goya is believed to have come into Japan during the Tokugawa era. In present-day Japan, the plant is called "Tsurureishi" and is used only for decorative purposes.
Goya is an indispensable vegetable in semi-tropical Okinawa. Until quite recently, when summer came you could see the bumpy green Goya gourds hanging from trellises in the yards of houses everywhere.
The bitter taste of Goya is very refreshing in the heat of summer. Frying it with pork and eggs makes a simple Chanpuru. Adding tofu and bean sprouts yields an elegant Chanpuru dish for the dinner table. Still, when I was a kid, I couldn't stand its bitterness. Many kids like me could hardly face it on the summertime dinner table. My mother would mix plenty of egg in the Chanpuru to soften the bitter taste. Then I could somehow get it down. People say "eat Goya to beat the summer heat." and "you won't feel the heat." The grandmothers say "It's a medicine for the summer heat" as a kind of incantation whenever Goya appears on the dinner table.
Goya tempura, Goya juice, Goya sweet and sour, Goya soaked in brown sugar - this vegetable has been eaten many ways for years and years.
It's strange, but as I have grown older Goya's bitter taste has grown closer to my heart. As summer comes on, my body begins to want it. Strange enough, even when I have no appetite, I can somehow eat Goya.
Goya is a rich source of vitamin C, which people nowadays don't get enough of. Its healthy qualities stand up to heating well, and it is drawing increasing attention. It is said that Goya also promotes regularity, stimulates the appetite and moderates blood pressure.
Historically, Goya was only eaten in Okinawa and Kyushu, but recently people all over Japan have come to enjoy it. Goya is grown mainly in India; it is a vine plant of the cucurbit family, a product of tropical Asia. It is eaten in neighboring Taiwan and in many parts of Southeast Asia. There are varieties different from Okinawan Goya, and there are different cooking methods, too.
Every part of the world has its folk medicines. In China it is said that Goya was used since time immemorial as a medicinal plant. India's Ayuriveda medicine uses it externally to treat skin diseases. In the Yunani medicine of Arabia, Goya is used to promote robustness and a healthy stomach, and also as a painkiller against rheumatism, roundworms and gout.
Scientific research on Goya began in the 1970's. Following publication of a paper by an Indian scientist, research began to be carried on in various parts of the world.
After thinking of Goya as just something Okinawan, it is a bit of a shock to think of it as belonging to the world.
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