Okra Facts

Okra seeds can be a great substitute for coffee.

One of the most interesting facts about okra is that its seeds can be a substitute for coffee. You can dry, grind, and roast the seeds to make a replacement for coffee, and the taste is reportedly not that far off from traditional coffee. The best part is that unlike the ones made from actual coffee grounds, this okra coffee is caffeine-free and won’t keep you up at night.

A popular account of this okra-based coffee is one by Dr. N.B. Cloud, whose words were published in The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N. C.). This account was published in 1863, in the midst of the American Civil War. During this period, coffee was scarce and expensive, so people began looking for possible alternatives. It turns out that mature okra seeds proved to be the best substitute they could find. These plants were cheap and easy to cultivate and harvest, after all, leaving coffee lovers satisfied without breaking the bank.

The origins of okra aren’t too clear.

Written accounts about okra have been present as early as around the 12th century, but experts don’t seem to reach an agreement on where exactly these plants originated. Popular theories on its origins point to East Asia, West Africa, or Ethiopia. In the 12th and 13th century, the Moors and Egyptians referred to the plant as bamya, an Arabic word. This suggests that it arrived in Egypt from Arabians. Some evidence points out, however, that the Arabians got the plants from Ethiopia. They might have transported the plants from Ethiopia to the Arabian peninsula through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb or the Red Sea.

The Atlantic slave trade brought the plants to the Americas, where the earliest accounts say that they thrived in Brazil by 1658. A few decades later, accounts reported that they also began flourishing in Suriname. The plants also arrived in southeastern North America by the early 18th century, coming all the way from Africa. In 1781, Thomas Jefferson stated that the plant was already thriving in Virginia. The plant became a common vegetable in the Southern United States by the year 1800. It also already had different documented varieties by 1806.

Okras often feel slimy when cooked.

One of the biggest drawbacks of okra for many people is that the seed pods can have a rather slimy or gooey texture when cooked. This may be unpleasant for some and can certainly throw off unwitting palates.

Why is okra so slimy, then? The reason why okras feel slimy when cooked is that these plants are mucilaginous — the pods of these plants contain slimy substances that are mainly made up of complex carbohydrates (such as galactose, rhamnose, and galacturonic acid) as well as some proteins. This mucilage or gel-like substance is also present in plants like flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) and yellow mustard (Sinapis alba), but okras have a notably high amount of mucilage.

For some people, this mucilage is one of okra’s more desirable characteristics, but a lot of people would prefer to eat it without the slime. To reduce its slimy texture, you can cook it alongside acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, lemon, or vinegar. Moreover, cooking it quickly (as in grilling and deep-frying) can also help in bringing down the slime.

Okra is a popular thickener for soups, stews, and sauces.

Okra’s slime may not be the best texture on its own, but it does have its own unique uses. In fact, this characteristic slime makes it a key ingredient in many soups, stews, and sauces. A notable example of this is gumbo, a favorite dish in the Southern United States. Heating it for a longer period of time makes the mucilage more viscous, giving the sauce a thicker texture.