Luffa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Luffa

Angled luffa with nearly mature fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Luffa
Species
L. acutangula (Angled luffa, Ridged Luffa) L. aegyptiaca (Smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa) L. operculata (Sponge cucumber) and others

A Luffa operculata plant.

A Luffa aegyptiaca plant.

A luffa is a plant that grows in warm, tropical places. Its fruit can be used in two main ways. When the fruit is young and green, it's a tasty vegetable. When it's fully grown and dried, the inside becomes a natural sponge! You might know it as a loofah or loofa.

How Luffa is Used
- Luffa as a Sponge
- Luffa as Food
Gallery
Images for kids
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How Luffa is Used

Luffa fruits are very useful. People use them for cleaning and for food.

Luffa as a Sponge

The fruit of some luffa plants, like L. aegyptiaca, can be left to grow until it's fully ripe. Then, it's dried. When dried, the soft parts of the fruit disappear. What's left is a strong network of fibers. This fibrous part is what we call a luffa sponge or loofah.

People use these natural sponges for many things:

Washing their bodies in the shower.
Cleaning dishes in the kitchen.

In a country called Paraguay, people even mix luffa fibers with other plant materials and recycled plastic. They use this mix to make furniture and build parts of houses.

Luffa as Food

Ridge gourd with Moong bean made in a house in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Ingredients for Beerakaya pulusu curry.

Luffa fruits are best to eat when they are small and still green. They should be less than 12 centimeters (about 5 inches) long.

Many countries use luffa in their cooking:

In Vietnam, it's called "mướp hương". It's often used in soups and stir-fried dishes.
In Myanmar, it's known as that pwet thee.
In North India, it's called torai or gilki. People cook it as a vegetable.
In Gujarat, India, it's known as turia or ghissori. It's a popular vegetable cooked with tomato sauce.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, it's called jhinge. It's eaten fried or cooked with shrimp, fish, or meat.
In Assam, India, it's called bhul or jika. It's cooked with sour fish curry.
In Tamil Nadu, India, the gourd is called peerkangai. It's used to make different dishes like kootu and chutney. Even the skin can be used for chutney!
In Karnataka, India, it's called tuppadahirekayi. It's eaten when tender and green, used in curries, or fried as a snack.
In Andhra Pradesh, India, it's called nethi beerakaya or beerakaya. It's used in curries, chutneys, and stir-fries.
In Kerala, India, it's called peechinga. It's cooked with lentils or stir-fried.
In Maharashtra, India, dodka (ridge gourd luffa) and ghosavala (smooth luffa) are common vegetables.
In Manipur, India, it's called sebot. It's cooked with potatoes, dried fish, or fermented fish.
In Japan, it's called hechima. It's grown in summer and used as a green vegetable in some areas. In other parts of Japan, it's mostly grown for sponges.
In China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, luffa is eaten as a green vegetable in many dishes. It's also known as "Chinese okra" in Canada and the United States.