Luffa Nutrition
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| Luffa gourds in summer |
Those familiar with southeastern Asian cuisine may already know of luffa for its culinary virtues. It is a popular vegetable for stir-fries, curries and soups. Likewise, luffa features in traditional cuisine among some cultures in Africa, and the vine is cultivated throughout the global tropics for use as food. In temperate zones, fewer people realize its culinary uses, but that number is increasing as the ease of growing and harvesting this resilient plant become better known. For details on growing luffa in the home garden, see our prior post: Luffa in the garden.
Leaves
Like many other broad leaves of domesticated garden crops, the luffa's leaves are edible and nutritious, especially when young and tender. Larger, older leaves may be bitter and better used as mulch in the garden. The young leaves can be eaten raw, chopped into salad, or cooked in ways similar to spinach, or even used like grape leaves for food wraps.
Since luffa grows vigorously, and will usually need routine pruning to keep the vines in check, harvesting leaves that are young and tasty makes excellent use of the pruned vegetation. New shoots may also be eaten in stir-fries.
Fruits
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| Young gourds, picked, washed and ready for slicing. |
The fruits of both smooth luffa (luffa cylindrica) and its cousin, the ridged luffa gourd (luffa aegyptiaca), can be harvested while young for vegetable use. The ridged luffa has been bred primarily for this purpose and has superior flavor, while the smooth luffa must be peeled for best taste. Either can be added to any dish where zucchini might be used, such as stir-fry or curry. Young luffa gourds do not have developed seeds inside of them, and the flesh is white or pale green, easy to cut, and somewhat springy (like eggplant). By the time that luffa gourds are longer than about 8", their flesh becomes more fibrous and bitter; seeds form and the fruit is no longer worth eating.
Luffa peel is quite nutritious, as well as medicinal. Although the peel from the smooth luffa is quite bitter and not generally considered tasty in stir-fries, it can be left on for more strongly flavored dishes, such as spicy curry, or in slow-cooked stews where the bitterness can be leached out somewhat from the peels.
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| The flesh inside the immature luffa should be white or very pale green, springy and solid. This is in contrast to the open, fibrous structure of the mature sponges. |
Seeds
Although the mature flesh of the fruit becomes fibrous and inedible, the mature luffa gourd still yields valuable nutrition in the form of seeds. In fact, the seeds hidden within the dry sponges so far exceed the nutritional value of the immature vegetable fruit that it almost seems a shame to eat the young gourds! Fortunately, luffa is prolific and will supply a large number of gourds, so picking a few immature fruits throughout the growing season will not substantially impact the final harvest.
The seeds of smooth luffa are high in protein and fat, and are low-carb: roughly 27% crude protein, 26% crude fat, and 31% carbohydrates. See "Chemical evaluation and functional properties of luffa seed protein," (2019, Ibrahim S.A. Mohamed et. all). The seed flour also contains a "high proportion of essential amino acids and has a low atherogenic potential" as well as providing healthy vegetable fats; see "Food Value and Phytochemical Composition of Luffa cylindrica Seed Flour," (Oyetayo, Folake Lucy and Babajide Abidemi Ojo, 2012).
By comparison, wheat flour typically contains 12% protein, 1.5% fat, and 71% carbs. Rice flour contains only 7% protein, with a tiny 0.6% fat, and a whopping 80% carbs. Maize corn flour has 9% protein, 5% fat and 74% carbs. Sorghum flour has 11% protein, 3% fat and 75% carbs. Only bean flours come close to gourd seeds: gram (lentil) flour, for example, has 22% protein, 6% fat and 57% carbs. (Values according to the USDA.) Thus, luffa seed flour compares favorably against the other options, especially for those following a low-carb diet. This can be especially important for those who are gluten-free, as most GF flour options tend to be low in protein and high in carbohydrates (as with the rice, sorghum and corn listed above). Luffa seeds are naturally gluten-free, providing a healthy alternative for a staple crop.
Most flour options come from grains (grasses) and must be grown in field-crop systems, which are generally too demanding of space and labor for a homestead garden. Furthermore, many such staples are vulnerable to pests and diseases, and require special equipment for harvesting, threshing and hulling, which again make home-growing a challenge. In terms of self-sufficiency and resilience, this leaves the typical homestead dependent upon easier-to-grow and harvest options, such as potatoes and beans. Bean flour, as seen above, is a healthy staple crop. However, potato flour (like dehydrated potato flakes), contains 9% protein, no fat, and 82% carbs; over-reliance upon potatoes for starches can be problematic, especially for individuals with diabetes. Growing dry beans and luffa can provide much lower-carb, higher-protein flour options, with the added benefit of vertical growth (which can be trellised to save space) and ease of harvest and use. In the case of luffa, the seeds are harvested at the same time and in the same manner as the mature sponges, providing a double crop; each sponge holds, on average, 30 seeds, which can be washed and dried for easy storage. Dry seeds can be ground at need to supply nutritious fresh flour, using a simple home kitchen grinder or coffee mill. If grinding large quantities of flour at once, it is best to store the excess flour in the freezer to prevent the seed oils from oxidizing (going rancid).
Although the mature flesh of the fruit becomes fibrous and inedible, the mature luffa gourd still yields valuable nutrition in the form of seeds. In fact, the seeds hidden within the dry sponges so far exceed the nutritional value of the immature vegetable fruit that it almost seems a shame to eat the young gourds! Fortunately, luffa is prolific and will supply a large number of gourds, so picking a few immature fruits throughout the growing season will not substantially impact the final harvest.
The seeds of smooth luffa are high in protein and fat, and are low-carb: roughly 27% crude protein, 26% crude fat, and 31% carbohydrates. See "Chemical evaluation and functional properties of luffa seed protein," (2019, Ibrahim S.A. Mohamed et. all). The seed flour also contains a "high proportion of essential amino acids and has a low atherogenic potential" as well as providing healthy vegetable fats; see "Food Value and Phytochemical Composition of Luffa cylindrica Seed Flour," (Oyetayo, Folake Lucy and Babajide Abidemi Ojo, 2012).
By comparison, wheat flour typically contains 12% protein, 1.5% fat, and 71% carbs. Rice flour contains only 7% protein, with a tiny 0.6% fat, and a whopping 80% carbs. Maize corn flour has 9% protein, 5% fat and 74% carbs. Sorghum flour has 11% protein, 3% fat and 75% carbs. Only bean flours come close to gourd seeds: gram (lentil) flour, for example, has 22% protein, 6% fat and 57% carbs. (Values according to the USDA.) Thus, luffa seed flour compares favorably against the other options, especially for those following a low-carb diet. This can be especially important for those who are gluten-free, as most GF flour options tend to be low in protein and high in carbohydrates (as with the rice, sorghum and corn listed above). Luffa seeds are naturally gluten-free, providing a healthy alternative for a staple crop.
Most flour options come from grains (grasses) and must be grown in field-crop systems, which are generally too demanding of space and labor for a homestead garden. Furthermore, many such staples are vulnerable to pests and diseases, and require special equipment for harvesting, threshing and hulling, which again make home-growing a challenge. In terms of self-sufficiency and resilience, this leaves the typical homestead dependent upon easier-to-grow and harvest options, such as potatoes and beans. Bean flour, as seen above, is a healthy staple crop. However, potato flour (like dehydrated potato flakes), contains 9% protein, no fat, and 82% carbs; over-reliance upon potatoes for starches can be problematic, especially for individuals with diabetes. Growing dry beans and luffa can provide much lower-carb, higher-protein flour options, with the added benefit of vertical growth (which can be trellised to save space) and ease of harvest and use. In the case of luffa, the seeds are harvested at the same time and in the same manner as the mature sponges, providing a double crop; each sponge holds, on average, 30 seeds, which can be washed and dried for easy storage. Dry seeds can be ground at need to supply nutritious fresh flour, using a simple home kitchen grinder or coffee mill. If grinding large quantities of flour at once, it is best to store the excess flour in the freezer to prevent the seed oils from oxidizing (going rancid).
Want to know more? Navigate to our other posts on luffa:
- Luffa overview
- Luffa in the garden
- Luffa sponges
- Luffa as medicine
Interested in growing luffa yourself? Email us to purchase seed!
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