Bitter gourd has been cultivated in India, Japan and Southeast Asia for a long time. It was introduced to Europe in the17th century, mainly for viewing. Bitter gourd is recorded in China's Ming Dynasty Zhu's "Herbal Medicine for Saving the Famine". According to this calculation, bitter gourd has been planted in China for at least 600 years. It is mentioned in Xu Guangqi Agricultural Administration Encyclopedia in Ming Dynasty that southerners ate bitter gourd very much, indicating that bitter gourd was widely planted in southern China at that time.
Bitter gourd is not native to China, otherwise it would not suddenly appear in the history of the Ming Dynasty. It appeared in the Ming Dynasty because Zheng He was famous for his voyages to the West at that time, and bitter gourd was a variety introduced from abroad at that time.
The book Xing Cha Sheng Orchid written by Zheng He's translator Fei Xin records: "Sumen is the first-class melon in China, and its skin is like litchi. When it is not cut, it stinks like rotten garlic. After cutting, it tastes crisp, sweet and delicious. I suspect this is bitter gourd. " Zheng He brought back many foreign things when he went to the Western Ocean. It makes sense to introduce bitter gourd at this time.
Cultural Significance of Bitter Melon
The characteristic of bitter gourd is that when it is cooked with any dish, it will not pass the bitterness to the other side. It is precisely because of this feature that bitter gourd has a different cultural meaning from other vegetables. Throughout the ages, bitter gourd has many nicknames, the most famous of which is "gentleman's dish", which is praised as "a gentleman's virtue and merit"
In addition to the reputation as a "gentleman's dish", bitter gourd has many cultural meanings. Literati and elegant guests will also write poems praising "Bitter Melon": "Bitter taste can make people bitter, and their hearts are clear." At the same time, since ancient times, people have gradually discovered the habits of bitter gourd. For example, bitter gourd is a kind of half-baked melon. Half-cooked melons don't taste good when they are fully cooked. When you get old, it will become soft and yellow, far from being half-cooked. And the smell of bitter gourd. Bitter before sweet is king.