08/14/2026
Let’s talk BITTER. This crazy looking fruit is bitter melon (Momordica charantia), also called bitter gourd or karela. It’s in the same family as cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. It is incredibly bitter. But that’s one of the reasons I love it. We’ve gotten really good at breeding bitterness out of our food, but bitter is an important flavor. We have bitter taste receptors, and tasting bitter compounds can begin signaling the digestive system, which is why herbalists have traditionally used bitter herbs to support appetite, digestive secretions and digestion. Bitter melon has been used as both food and medicine for centuries. The fruit provides vitamin C, fiber, folate and antioxidants, along with interesting plant compounds including charantin, triterpenoids, saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides. Probably its most researched traditional use is supporting healthy blood sugar and glucose metabolism. Researchers are also studying its potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and metabolic effects. Human research is still developing, so I don’t consider it a replacement for medication, but it’s a fascinating medicinal food. So how do you eat it? Bitter melon is normally harvested GREEN. Cut it lengthwise, remove the pith and seeds, slice it and sauté, stir-fry, boil or add it to soups and curries. Salting and rinsing it before cooking can help tame the bitterness. The tender young leaves and shoots are also eaten in some cultures. But leave the fruit on the vine, it turns bright yellow/orange, splits open and reveals seeds covered in brilliant red arils. And the craziest part? That red fleshy coating is actually SWEET. Important: the sweet red aril is different from the actual seed. I don’t recommend eating the mature seeds themselves. Bitter melon can lower blood sugar, so medicinal amounts or extracts should be used cautiously with glucose-lowering medications, and medicinal use is generally avoided during pregnancy. We’ve been taught to think bitter is bad. But all flavors have importance, including bitter! Would you try it??
