Cucumis anguria
Encyclopedia
Cucumis anguria, also called the West Indian Gherkin, Burr Gherkin, Burr Cucumber, or maxixe, and locally known as badunga or cohombro, is a vine
grown for its fruit
used as a vegetable
. It is similar and related to the common cucumber
(C. sativus) and its cultivar
s are known as gherkin
s.
The fruit is typically 4-8 cm in length, 2-4 cm in diameter, and covered with soft spines.
Plants are originally from Africa
. They are popular in the northeast
and north
of Brazil
, where they are used in the local version of cozido (meat-and-vegetable stew). The flavor of this gherkin is similar to that of the common cucumber.
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
grown for its fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
used as a vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
. It is similar and related to the common cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
(C. sativus) and its cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s are known as gherkin
Gherkin
The gherkin is a fruit similar in form and nutritional value to a cucumber. Gherkins and cucumbers belong to the same species , but are from different cultivar groups....
s.
The fruit is typically 4-8 cm in length, 2-4 cm in diameter, and covered with soft spines.
Plants are originally from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They are popular in the northeast
Northeast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
and north
North Region, Brazil
The North Region of Brazil is the largest Region of Brazil, corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory. It is the least inhabited of the country, and contributes with a minor percentage in the national GDP and population...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where they are used in the local version of cozido (meat-and-vegetable stew). The flavor of this gherkin is similar to that of the common cucumber.