Winter Melon (Benincasa hispida) is the only species in the genus Benincasa of the family Cucurbitaceae, originally cultivated in Southeast Asia, and is now widely grown in East and South Asia. It is also known as White gourd, Ash gourd, Fuzzy melon, Wax gourd, dong gua in Chinese, sufed kaddu, petha and lauki in India, Togan in Japan, and fak in Thailand. Winter melon is an ancient food staple of China.
Winter melon is a large vine grown for its large fruit, which is eaten as a vegetable. It is a warm-season, fast-growing, long season vegetable. The leaves, shoots and tendrills may also be eaten as vegetables. The snow-white flesh is mild-flavored and has a water-rich texture like the watermelon. The large seed cavity takes up more than half the amount of the flesh. Winter melon can weigh up to 22 kg with a 38 cm diameter and a length of 80 cm. The fruit is fuzzy when young, and loses its hair and develops a waxy coating as it matures, and providing a long shelf life.
Winter melon can be stored in a cool place for months and used later in the winter season. The unopened fruits can be kept fresh for a long time, but cut pieces need to be used in cooking within a few days. Due to its large size, winter melon is often marketed by the slice. Winter melon can be cubed, diced and steamed, simmered, braised, parboiled, or added to stir-fries. It is best used in soups, and is often combined with pork or beef bones. Winter melon is also suitable for pickling and may be diced and candied. It is also used to produce winter melon tea, a fruit drink which has a distinctive taste, usually sweetened with caremelized sugar to enhance the taste.
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