Fluted Gourd (Telfairia occidentalis)

Family: Cucurbitaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Fluted Gourd, Telfairia occidentalis, is a perennial climbing, dioecious plant that can be found in West tropical Africa and can grow up to 15 m long. It is tolerant to drought and grown mainly for food and medicinal uses. The creamy white and red flowers occur in sets of five. The fruits, green when young then turns yellow upon ripening, are not edible but contain edible seeds that are high in protein and fat.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

pleasant almond-like flavour. — A pleasant almond-like flavour.; It can be boiled and eaten as a nut, or ground into a flour for use in soups.; Immature seeds are cooked or roasted; they can also be fermented for several days and eaten as a slurry.; Mature seeds are not consumed directly because they have a high content of antinutrients.

Habitat & North American Range

Lowland rainforest and riversides. Rain-forest; secondary forest; forest edges; possibly often as a relic of former cultivation; at elevations up to 1,200 metres. (Zone 10)