2020 James Beard Award Winner With recipes for gumbos and stews—plus okra pickles, tofu, marshmallow, paper, and more! "A love song long overdue. It is anything and everything you wanted to know about this hallmark ingredient."—Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene Chris Smith’s first encounter with okra was of the worst kind: slimy fried okra at a greasy-spoon diner. Despite that dismal introduction, Smith developed a fascination with okra, and as he researched the plant and began to experiment with it in his own kitchen, he discovered an amazing range of delicious ways to cook and eat it, along with ingenious and surprising ways to process the plant from tip-to-tail: pods, leaves, flowers, seeds, and stalks. Smith talked okra with chefs, food historians, university researchers, farmers, homesteaders, and gardeners. The summation of his experimentation and research comes together in The Whole Okra, a lighthearted but information-rich collection of okra history, lore, recipes, craft projects, growing advice, and more. The Whole Okra includes classic recipes such as fried okra pods as well as unexpected delights including okra seed pancakes and okra flower vodka. Some of the South’s best-known chefs shared okra recipes with Smith: Okra Soup by culinary historian Michael Twitty, Limpin’ Susan by chef BJ Dennis, Bhindi Masala by chef Meherwan Irani, and Okra Fries by chef Vivian Howard. Okra has practical uses beyond the edible, and Smith also researched the history of okra as a fiber crop for making paper and the uses of okra mucilage (slime) as a preservative, a hydrating face mask, and a primary ingredient in herbalist Katrina Blair’s recipe for Okra Marshmallow Delight. The Whole Okra is foremost a foodie’s book, but Smith also provides practical tips and techniques for home and market gardeners. He gives directions for saving seed for replanting, for a breeding project, or for a stockpile of seed for making okra oil, okra flour, okra tempeh, and more. Smith has grown over 75 varieties of okra, and he describes the nuanced differences in flavor, texture, and color; the best-tasting varieties; and his personal favorites. Smith’s wry humor and seed-to-stem enthusiasm for his subject infuse every chapter with just the right mix of fabulous recipes and culinary tips, unique projects, and fun facts about this vagabond vegetable with enormous potential. "If you are an okra lover, this book is an affirmation, filled with interesting stories and great ideas for using pods, flowers, and more. If you are not yet an okra lover, Chris Smith’s enthusiasm may well convert you."—Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation

THE OKRA/OKRAA COMPLEX - The Soul of Akanfo The Okra/Okraa Complex - The Soul of Akanfo is a text wherein we address the nature and function of the Soul/Divine Consciousness which is called Okra (aw-krah') and Okraa (aw-krah'-ah) in Akan culture. The Okra (masculine) or Okraa (feminine) is our personal Obosom (Deity) which resides in our head region. The Okra/Okraa is a Spirit-Entity which always guides us to live in harmony with Nyamewaa-Nyame Nhyehyee (The Supreme Being's Divine Order) and is the foundation for religious practice amongst Afurakanu/Afuraitkaitnut (Africans~Black People). The Okra and Okraa are called the Ka and Kait in ancient Khanit and Kamit (ancient Nubia and Egypt), Ori Inu in Yoruba and Se Lido in Vodoun. The cosmology which is the foundation for understanding the nature and function of the Soul/Divine Consciousness is fundamentally the same for Afurakanu/Afuraitkaitnut (Africans) worldwide. This nhoma (book) will thus deepen one's understanding of the Okra/Okraa by whatever name It is called in our various Afurakani/Afuraitkaitnit (African) cultures. Afurakani/Afuraitkaitnit (African) culture includes those of us who held on to our Ancestral traditions through the horrors of enslavement in the western hemisphere. It was our adherence to our Ancestral traditions, our alignment with our Okra/Okraa, the Abosom (Deities) and our Nananom Nsamanfo (Honored Ancestresses and Ancestors) which gave us the fortitude to free ourselves from enslavement and reconstitute our Ancestral blood-circles.

48 pages. Illustrated. Editions CLOE. 2nd EDITION 2014 optimized for portable devices (Tablet, Kindle, iPub. IPhones, iTunes etc.). What is Okri. Its origin and its habitat. The varieties of Okri. The cultivation techniques. Pests and diseases. Its harvest, use, preservation. Its medicinal properties and its use in the kitchen.

Organic coffee is produced by over 20 countries including Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rica, India, Madagascar, Brazil, Vietnam etc. Japan, USA, EU are some of the biggest consumers of organic coffee in the world. The fruits are slimy, mucilaginous and rich in iodine content which helps in goiter control. Tomato is the world’s largest vegetable crop after potato and sweet potato.The wide versatility in its usage makes it a favorite among food processors. Mango is known as the King of fruits.Mango is a very important fruit crop for India. India is the largest producer of mango in the world, responsible for 60% of world mango production. Banana is a perennial herb, native to South East Asia. It is the fifth largest agricultural commodity in world trade after cereals, sugar, coffee and cocoa. Ecuador, Brazil, China, India are the leading producers of banana in the world.USA, Belgium, Germany and United Kingdom are the major importers of banana.

Passionate okra lovers crave this bright green, heat-loving vegetable, whether fried, grilled, steamed, roasted, boiled, broiled, pickled, raw, whole, sliced, or julienned. With Okra, Virginia Willis provides "the key that unlocks the door of okra desire" to okra addicts and newcomers to the pod alike. Topping eight feet, with gorgeous butter-yellow flowers that ripen into the plant's signature seed-filled pods, okra has a long association with foodways in the American South. But as Willis shows, okra is also an important ingredient in cuisines across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Featuring gardening tips, a discussion of heirloom varieties, and expert cooking directions (including a list of "top ten slime-busting tips"), Okra brilliantly showcases fifty delectable recipes: twenty-six southern dishes, ranging from Southern-Style Fried Okra to Gulf Coast Seafood Gumbo, and twenty-four authentic global dishes, from Moroccan Lamb and Okra Tagine with Preserved Lemons to Cuban Pork with Yellow Rice, Okra, and Annatto Oil.

Okra is vegetable that comes in season in the early fall. It is very popular in the South in places such as Louisianna where it is used in soups and stews like gumbo. Okra is low in calories and high in fiber. Recently, a new benefit of including okra in your diet is being considered. Many believe that can help manage blood sugar in cases of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Okra is also delicious, which is the reason it is so popular. In addition to soups, it can be grilled, fried or pickled. It can even be a key ingredient in a holiday casserole. This cookbook contains a wide variety of scrumptious okra recipes from the southern United States as well as many other places around the world.