Wax gourd

{{Short description|Species of vine and edible fruit}} {{Redirect2|Kundol|Winter melon|the lake|Kundol Lake|another use|Cucumis melo}} {{primary sources|date=January 2018}} {{stack begin}} {{Speciesbox |image = Benincasa hispida compose.jpg |image_caption = Wax gourd plant, flower and immature and mature fruit |genus = Benincasa |species = hispida |authority = (Thunb.) Cogn. |synonyms = {{Collapsible list | {{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; | * ''Benincasa cerifera'' Savi * ''Benincasa cylindrica'' Ser. nom. inval. * ''Benincasa pruriens'' (Parkinson) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes nom. inval. * ''Benincasa vacua'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. * ''Cucurbita alba'' Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. * ''Cucurbita farinosa'' Blume * ''Cucurbita hispida'' Thunb. * ''Cucurbita littoralis'' Hassk. * ''Cucurbita pruriens'' Parkinson nom. inval. * ''Cucurbita pruriens'' Seem. * ''Cucurbita vacua'' F.Muell. * ''Cucurbita villosa'' Blume * ''Gymnopetalum septemlobum'' Miq. }} }} |synonyms_ref =<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000562558 |title=''Benincasa hispida'' (Thunb.) Cogn. |work=World Flora Online |publisher= World Flora Consortium |access-date=23 December 2022}}</ref> |}} thumb|Illustration (as the synonym ''Benincasa cerifera'') in "Les plantes potagères" Vilmorin 1925 {{stack end}} {{nutritionalvalue | name=Waxgourd, raw (Daily Value) | water=96.1 g | kJ=54 | protein=0.4 g | fat=0.2 g | carbs=3 g | fibre=2.9 g | calcium_mg=19 | iron_mg=0.4 | magnesium_mg=10 | phosphorus_mg=19 | potassium_mg=6 | sodium_mg=111 | zinc_mg=0.61 | selenium_ug=0.2 | vitC_mg=13 | thiamin_mg=0.04 | riboflavin_mg=0.11 | niacin_mg=0.4 | pantothenic_mg=0.133 | vitB6_mg=0.035 | folate_ug=5 | source_usda=1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170069/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] values are for edible portion }}

'''''Benincasa hispida''''', the '''wax gourd''',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/wax-gourd |title=Wax Gourd |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref><ref>Useful Tropical Plants, '[http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Benincasa+hispida Benincasa hispida]'. Accessed on 2017-11-19.</ref> also called '''ash gourd''',<ref name=MMPND/> '''white gourd''', '''winter gourd''', '''winter melon''', '''tallow gourd''', '''ash pumpkin''',<ref name=MMPND>{{cite web |url=http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Benincasa.html |title=Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database |access-date=10 April 2014}}</ref> '''dongah'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dongah |url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/native-dongah/ |website=Ark of taste |publisher=Slow Food Foundation |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref> or '''Chinese preserving melon''',<ref name=MMPND/> is a species of vine.

The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is grown, especially in Asia, for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. One variety of the plant, called ''chi qua'' (''Benincasa hispida'' var. ''chieh-qua''), is commonly used in Asian cuisine.<ref name="nsw">{{cite web |url=https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/commodity-growing-guides/asian-vegetables/a-f/chi-qua-embenincasa-hispida-var.-chieh-guaem|title=Chi qua (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-gua)|website=NSW Government Department of Primary Industries|date=20 March 2008|publisher=State of New South Wales|access-date=2020-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512005930/https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/commodity-growing-guides/asian-vegetables/a-f/chi-qua-embenincasa-hispida-var.-chieh-guaem|archive-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

== Description == The plant grows thick vines with coarse and hairy stems. It has large, rough leaves with a width between {{convert|4-12|in|cm|order=flip}} long.<ref name="MBG">{{cite web |date=n.d. |title=''Benincasa hispida'' |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e457 |access-date=7 October 2021 |website=Plant Finder |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden}}</ref><ref name="IB">{{cite web |url=https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/244546 |title=''Benincasa hispida'' (Thunb.) Cogn. |editor-last1=Vattakaven |editor-first1=T. |editor-last2=George |editor-first2=R. |editor-last3=Balasubramanian |editor-first3=D. |editor-last4=Réjou-Méchain |editor-first4=M. |editor-last5=Muthusankar |editor-first5=G. |editor-last6=Ramesh |editor-first6=B. |editor-last7=Prabhakar |editor-first7=R. |website=India Biodiversity Portal |access-date=23 December 2022 |date=2016}}</ref>

In early summer from June to September, golden yellow flowers form in the leaf axils.<ref name=handbook>{{cite book |last1=Salunkhe |first1=D. K. |last2=Kadam |first2=S. S. |title=Handbook of Vegetable Science and Technology: Production, Composition, Storage, and Processing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ns4vQyf-zI0C&pg=PA290 |date=1998 |page=290 |location= New York, USA |publisher=Marcel Dekker, Inc. |isbn=0-8247-0105-4}}</ref>

After they are pollinated, they bear obloid fruit {{Convert|50–60|cm|abbr=on}} long and 10–25 cm wide. They typically weigh 5–10 kg,<ref>{{cite web | title=Wayanad farmer gets 18.48 kg ash gourd using only cow dung as fertilizer | website=@mathrubhumi | date=2020-07-30 | url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/features/agriculture/ash-gourd-cultivation-giant-ash-gourd-farming-44015597 | access-date=2025-09-21}}</ref> with weights of up to 34.5 kg recorded.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-03/18/content_6546899.htm | title= Huge Waxgourd in Hainan | date= 18 March 2008 | access-date= 30 October 2013 }}</ref> The young fruit are covered with soft fuzzy hairs which eventually disappear<ref name="IB"/> and develop a waxy coating that gives the fruit a shelf life of up to a year.<ref name="ALOM">{{Cite web |url=https://alifeofmastery.com/winter-melon/ |title=Winter Melon: What is It, Where Do You Get It and How To Cook With It|last=Manton |first=Keegan |date=18 November 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120160817/https://alifeofmastery.com/winter-melon/|archive-date=20 November 2021|access-date=20 November 2021 |website=A Life of Mastery}}</ref> The fruit has thick flesh that is sweet, crisp and juicy; it has white or yellow seeds.<ref name="IB" />

== Etymology == The name "winter melon" that is sometimes given to this plant is based on the Chinese name {{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|dōngguā}} ({{lang|zh|冬瓜}}); however, the character {{lang|zh|瓜}} ({{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|guā}}) can also mean "gourd" or "squash".<ref>{{Cite web |title=MDBG English to Chinese dictionary |url=http://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%86%AC%E7%93%9C%E7%B3%96&wdrst=0 |website=mdbg.net}}</ref> It is likely that the name "melon" is given because this gourd is sometimes candied or made into a sweet tea.

The name "wax gourd" comes from the wax coating in the fruit's skin.<ref name="ALOM" />

== Distribution and habitat == The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is widely grown throughout Asia,<ref name="MBG" /> including Java and Japan,<ref name="Crops">{{cite book |last1=Gopalakrishnan |first1=T. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mTUBjSyo_UC&pg=PA138 |title=Vegetable Crops |date=2007 |publisher=New India Publishing |isbn=978-81-89422-41-7 |location=New Delhi, India |page=138}}</ref> the places where it is thought to have originated.<ref name="handbook" />

== Cultivation == It is grown in well-drained loam and sandy soils in warm, mild climates, and will not tolerate frosts. It is grown in riverbeds or furrows, and needs constant irrigation during the growing season.<ref name=handbook/>

== Uses == === Culinary === The fruit, seeds, buds and young leaves can be eaten cooked, resembling pumpkin or zucchini.<ref name="edible">{{Cite book |last=Hobbs |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Edible.html?id=-T43zwEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description |title=Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat |last2=Cisar-Erlach |first2=Artur |date=2023 |publisher=Thames & Hudson Ltd |isbn=978-0-500-02561-1 |location=London |pages=47}}</ref> The gourd can be stored for many months, much like winter squash.

Ash gourds of the Indian subcontinent have a white coating with a rough texture (hence the name ash gourd). Southeast Asian varieties have a smooth waxy texture. It is one of the few vegetables available during winter in areas of deciduous vegetation. In India, the wax gourd is viewed as having medicinal properties in the Ayurvedic system of medicine.<ref name="Crops" /> It is also viewed as having significance in spiritual traditions of India and Yoga, where it is identified as a great source of prana.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/lifestyle/food/ash-gourd-winter-melon-cool-vegetable-benefits-recipes/|title=Ash Gourd (Winter Melon), the "Cool" Vegetable: Benefits & Recipes |date=2017-05-04|work=The Isha Blog|access-date=16 February 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>thumb|Winter melon plant in Cambodia thumb|Nearly mature wax gourd In Cambodia, it is known as ''tralach'' ({{langx|km|ត្រឡាច}}), and used in soup and stews in Cambodian cuisine. It is commonly used to make ''samlor tralach'', which is winter gourd and pork soup, or stuffed pork in the gourd.

In Chinese cuisine, the gourds are used in stir fries or combined with pork or pork/beef bones to make winter gourd soup, often served in the scooped out gourd, carved by scraping off the waxy coating. It is also chopped and candied<ref>{{cite web|title=How to make Candied Winter Melon aka Tung Kua(冬瓜糖)|url=http://unclephilipsg.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-make-candied-winter-melon-aka.html|access-date=18 December 2011|year=2009}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2018}} as wintermelon candy (''dōng guā táng''), commonly eaten at New Year festivals, or as filling for Sweetheart cake (''lǎopó bǐng''). It has also been used as the base filling in Chinese and Taiwanese mooncakes for the Moon Festival.

In Vietnamese cuisine, it is called ''bí đao'', and is usually used to make soup or stew.<ref>{{cite web|title=Winter Melon Soup - Canh Bí Đao|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm3nzo3OCtg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Tm3nzo3OCtg| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|date=30 August 2014|publisher=youtube.com|access-date=1 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When cooked with pork short ribs, the resulting soup is traditionally thought to help produce more milk for breastfeeding mothers.{{Citation needed|reason=reliable source needed|date=August 2013}}

In the Philippines, it is called ''kundol'' and is candied or used as a pastry filling for hopia. It is also an ingredient in some savory soups (''sabáw'') and stir-fried (''guisado'') dishes.

In Indian cuisine, it is traditionally used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. In northern India it is used to prepare a candy called ''petha''. In South Indian cuisine, it is traditionally used to make a variety of curries, including sāmbār and a stew (''mōr kuḻambu'', made with a yogurt base.<ref name="Majjige Huli">{{Cite web|url=http://www.paajaka.com/2008/02/majjige-huli-with-winter-melon.html|title=Majjige huli with winter melon |work=Paajaka Recipes |date=2008-02-25}}</ref> The juice of the raw ash gourd (Maipawl or Khar) is used by the Mizo community and indigenous Assamese ethnicities of North-East India as a natural remedy to treat mild to severe dysentery. In north India, particularly in the middle Himalayas, it is paired with pulses such as moong which, when crushed, along with winter gourd, make a dish locally called ''bori''. When dried in sunlight it becomes somewhat hard and is used in curry dishes and eaten with rice or chapati. This practice is especially prevalent in the Himalayas due to the long shelf life of the resulting product.

In western Bihar as well as eastern Uttar Pradesh, it is called ''bhathua'' (भथुआ). In Sri Lanka, it is called ''puhul'' (පුහුල්) and ''alu puhul'' (අළු පුහුල්). In Andhra Pradesh, it is called ''Boodida Gummadikaya'' (బూడిద గుమ్మడికాయ Telugu). It is used to make stews, stir fries and vadialu. Vadialu are made by chopping the gourd in small pieces and mixing with ground urad beans and spices, then sun-drying. To eat, vadialu are deep fried in oil and eaten as an accompaniment to rice and sambar or lentil stews.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} [[File:Murabba made from Wax gourd .jpg|alt=Murabba made from wax gourd |thumb|Murabba made from wax gourd ]]

It is known as Kohalaa (कोहळा) in the Marathi language. Kohala is used to prepare a sweet dish called Kohalyachi Vadee, a kind of Barfi. It is also used to make Sambar.

In Gujarat, it is called kolu (કોળુ).

In Bengal, it is called "ChaalKumro" (চালকুমড়ো ). There are various dished made with it, viz., ChalKumro’r Bora, Chalkumro ghonto, Chalkumror dudh curry, {{transliteration|bn|Chal kumro|italic=no}} with mung dal, etc.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 July 2022 |title=Narkel chal kumror ghonto: কুমড়ো শুনতেই নাক সিটকান? নারকেল দিয়ে চাল কুমড়োর ঘন্ট পাতে পড়লেই দূর হবে অরুচি …… |work=The Bengali Chronicle |url=https://thebengalichronicle.com/narkel-chal-kumror-ghonto-easy-recipe-in-bengali-rst/ |access-date=8 September 2022 |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chal kumro'r bora—detailed recipe with video: Bong Eats|url=https://www.bongeats.com/recipe/chal-kumror-bora|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.bongeats.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chalkumro ghonto Recipe by Tina Chakraborty let's Cook|url=https://cookpad.com/in/recipes/10849831-chalkumro-ghonto|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Cookpad|date=16 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chalkumror Dudh Curry |url=http://www.thebengalirecipe.com/index.php/vegetarian-recipes/chalkumror-dudh-curry-bengali-recipe |access-date=2020-10-28 |website=The Bengali Recipe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ganguly|first=Chandana|date=2016-06-25|title=Bengali Veg. Ash Gourd Curry/Chal Kumro With Mung Dal.|url=http://www.cookingenuff.com/bengali-veg-ash-gourd-currychal-kumro-mung-dal/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Cookingenuff|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chaal Kumro Diye Muger Dal: Ash Gourd/Winter Melon with Yellow Mung |url=http://www.ecurry.com/blog/indian/curries/dry/chaal-kumro-diye-muger-dal-ash-gourdwinter-melon-with-yellow-mung/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=eCurry - The Recipe Blog}}</ref>

In Odisha it is called (ପାଣି କଖାରୁ), it is used in various types of recipe all over Odisha. It is the main ingredient to prepare a candy-like food (ବଡ଼ି) for curry or as a supplement mainly with watered rice.

In Nepal, where it is called Kubhindo, it is cooked as a vegetable when young, but the ripe gourds are usually made into preserves or crystallized candy known as "murabba" or "petha".<ref>{{cite web |work=Taste of Nepal |url=http://tasteofnepal.blogspot.com/2012/03/kubhindo-ash-gourd.html |title=Kubhindo - Ash Gourd (कुभिन्डो) |date=2012-03-17 |access-date=2017-11-19}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2018}} [[File:Murabba.jpg|alt=Murabba made from Ash gourd |thumb|Murabba made from ash gourd from Nepal]]

Occasionally, it is used to produce a fruit drink, usually sweetened with caramelized sugar. In Southeast Asia, the drink is marketed as wax gourd tea or wax gourd punch.

The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of the plant may are sometimes eaten as greens.<ref>{{cite web|title=Winter Squash Leaves in Salted Coconut Milk|url=https://praneesthaikitchen.com/2011/08/09/winter-squash-leaves-salted-coconut-milk/|date=9 August 2011|work=Pranee's Thai Kitchen |access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2018}}

===Other purposes=== The ash gourd is also used by Hindus as a sacrificial offering in lieu of animal sacrifice. The gourd is marked with vermillion and split in two with a sword.

In Kerala, the plant is called കുമ്പളം ''kumbalam'' and the fruit is called കുമ്പളങ്ങ ''kumbalanga'' or കൂശ്മാണ്ടം ''kooshmandam''. It is traditionally used to offer 'Guruthi' (ഗുരുതി) instead of 'Kuruti' (കുരുതി) among Malayali Brahmins. Thus, instead of offering someone's life in the pyre, an ash gourd is cut into two as a symbolic performance in lieu of human sacrifice.{{clarify|date=January 2025}}

In Karnataka, the ash gourd is known as Boodu Kumbalakaayi (ಬೂದು ಕುಂಬಳಕಾಯಿ) (Kannada) and Boldu Kumbda in Tulu, and is used to prepare dishes like Kodel (Sambhar), Ale bajji, Kashi Halwa and chutney.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://udupi-recipes.com/2017/11/ashgourd-kootu-recipe.html|title=Ashgourd Kootu Recipe Simple and easy |work=Udupi Recipes |date=27 November 2017|access-date=10 January 2020}}</ref> It is widely used during Dasara and other festivities while performing pooje.

Its fruit was often dried as containers to store infused coconut oil among Polynesians (known as ''fa''(''n'')''gu'' or ''hue ʻaroro'' – latter not to be confused with the other ''hue'' gourd).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=Warwick |last2=Kapoor |first2=Promila |title=Nga Mahi Maori O Te Wao Nui a Tane: Contributions to an International Workshop on Ethnobotany, Te Rehua Marae, Christchurch, New Zealand, 22-26 February 1988 |date=1990 |publisher=Botany Division, DSIR |isbn=978-0-477-02579-9 |page=70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MExEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22fangu%22+benincasa}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Whistler |first1=W. Arthur |author1-link=Arthur Whistler |title=The Other Polynesian Gourd |journal=Pacific Science |date=1990 |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=115–22 |url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/6e646807-e8c9-4efd-b00b-2261470806a5/content}}</ref>

== Cultural significance == In mid-2020, several U.S. states reported unsolicited packages containing unknown and unidentified seeds of various kinds; the envelopes presented Chinese text in many cases. At least one person planted one type of these seeds, which grew into ''B. hispida'' and was analyzed before state officials destroyed the plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/07/unsolicited-seeds-china-brushing/619417/ |title=The Truth Behind the Amazon Mystery Seeds |first=Chris |last=Heath |work=The Atlantic |date=2021-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Arkansas man plants mystery seeds from China; USDA preps to destroy |url=https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/man-plants-mystery-seeds-china-arkansas-usda-destroy |first=Cortney |last=Moore |date=12 August 2020|work=Fox News |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref>

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Winter melon in backyard.jpg|Wax gourd two weeks after flowering File:India Ash Gourd.jpg|Indian ash gourd File:Ash Gourd flower vijayanrajapuram.jpg|Gourd flower. File:Winter melon.jpg|Wax gourd File:Wintermelonsoup.jpg|Chinese winter melon soup File:冬瓜糖.jpg|Chinese winter melon candy File:Winteelon flowers.jpg|Wax gourd plant flowering File:Winter melon seed.jpg|Seeds

</gallery>

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Benincasa hispida}} {{Melons}}

Category:Benincaseae Category:Flora of Nepal Category:Fruit vegetables Category:Medicinal plants Category:Melons  Category:Filipino cuisine Category:Austronesian agriculture Category:Ark of Taste foods