Okra is a plant that is loved by the people of South America, the Middle East, and the southern states of the United States. It is grown and picked in the warmer seasons, making it perfect for these areas. Due to its high nutritional value and ease of growing from seed, it has become a staple food in warmer climate countries. However, most people get confused about what type of plant okra is because of the nature of its fruit.
So is okra a legume? Common legumes such as peas are what cause the most confusion about the classification of okra. The fruits of peas and okra are quite similar in how they look, but there is more to okra than just that. And there is also the debate about whether okra is a vegetable or a fruit. So taking in all the confusion, let’s dive in and figure out what is an okra.
Key Takeaways
- Botanically, okra is part of the mallow family due to the similarities in stem, flower, fruit, and leaves.
- Compared to legumes, okra has many differences even though the fruits may look the same.
- The botanical and culinary definitions of okra can be confusing as one considers it a fruit and the other considers it to be a vegetable.
- Okras have good nutritional value that has a lot of health benefits to them that legumes necessarily do not have.
Botanical Classification of Okra
In terms of botanical or plant classification of okra, it is a part of the Malvaceae family which is known as the mallow plant. The leaves of the okra are lobed and heart-shaped, where veins end at the tip of the plant (also known as the malvoid teeth). The okra plant has no woody stems above the ground much like other plants in the mallow family. The flower of okra has a spiral shape to it, with five petals. This is also common among the mallow family, where they have a spiral shape to them. The fruits of the okra are capsulated and long, giving its common nickname of “ladies’ finger”. This is much like that of the fruits of the hibiscus and cotton plants.
Other plants from the mallow family are the hibiscus and cotton plants. You might be wondering how can okra be related to them? Well, it is simply because of the characteristic of the flower, stem, leaves, and pollination in the mallow family. Much like okra, hibiscus and cotton have lobed and heart-shaped leaves, spiral flower petals, and non-woody and hairy stems! And the plants can self-pollinate too. All of these are characteristics of mallow plants that the okra, cotton, and hibiscus share.
Comparison to Legumes
The characteristics of legumes are quite different from the mallow family. Starting from the leaves, the legume leaves are compound leaves that grow on stipules (the leaf-like part that grows on the side of the stem). Unlike the spiral shape of the mallow flowers, legume flowers grow in a bilaterally symmetric shape. Also, the stems of legumes have a wide variety of how woody stems which the mallow plants do not. And unlike okra which has capsulated seeds, the seeds of legumes vary from peas to beans. Therefore, all these differences make sure that okra is not a part of the legume family.
So is okra a fruit or a vegetable?
Let’s first define what a fruit and a vegetable are before deciding on which classification the okra belongs to. And even this has either a botanical definition or a culinary definition.
The botanical definition of fruits and vegetables is differentiated by which part of the plant it comes from. The fruit comes from the flower of the plant while the other edible parts of the plant are considered vegetables. Primarily, fruits have a fleshy outer part that contains seeds inside, much like the okra. So okras are botanically fruits.
However, in terms of cooking and culinary, okra is considered to be a vegetable. This is because the taste of the okra is more fitted to that of a vegetable than that of a fruit. Fruits have a distinctive sweeter taste but okra has a savory flavor. And of course, fruits are used more in desserts and juices while vegetables are used more often in a side or main course meals.
Therefore, okra can be considered a controversial plant that is botanically a fruit but cooked like a vegetable.
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Culinary and Nutritional Significance of Okra
In cooking, okra can be cooked in many ways. In the classic Southern style of cooking, okra can be fried. Or you can add it to a curry or stew as is popular in Egypt and the Middle East. A weird way to prepare okra is by making it pickled okra, which has a great flavor when it is spicy!
Okra is great because of its nutritional value, as it contains very little fat and a lot of vitamins and fiber. Here are some nutritional values of okra (per 100g):
- Total Carbohydrate – 7g
- Dietary fiber – 3.2g
- Sugar – 1.5g
- Protein – 1.9g
- Potassium – 0.3g
- Total fat – 0.2g
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Iron
- Vitamin B6
- Magnesium
It has many antioxidants, lowers the risk of heart disease, and has anti-cancer properties. Due to its lower fat content and properties that bind with cholesterol, it helps in lowering the chances of blockage in the heart vessels. The antioxidants in okra help lower the risk of heart disease. The proteins present in okra also have anti-cancer properties because it inhibits cancer cell growth.
When compared to legumes, okra has much less sugar and fat. It is also richer in vitamins which the body needs for infection and blood clotting. Also, eating excess legumes cause a decrease in the absorption of minerals. Legumes don’t necessarily have a lot of minerals, whereas okra has a lot of them in the form of iron, magnesium, and potassium.
FAQs
In fact, okra and beans can be considered companion plants because the beans help hide okra from insects.
Okra grows best in the summer because it needs full sun for a minimum of 6 hours a day. This is why it is best grown in the southern states of the United States and other places with similar climates.
Okra takes about 2 months to grow. They are very easy to grow and should be picked when they are about the size of your hand and when it is soft and most digestible.
Final Thoughts
To conclude the debate, okra is not a legume. The two types of plants have completely different flowers, leaves, stem, and fruits. Because okra has seeds inside of its fruit like peas, it is not a legume because okra is capsulated. In terms of botanical or scientific classification, okra is considered to be a fruit. However, in terms of cooking it is considered a vegetable. It has much nutritional value and no wonder it has become a staple food in the warmer parts of the world.
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