Okra is a native of Africa mallow plant with long ribbed seed pods. It is sometimes referred to as legume, but correct is the term "fruit vegetables". After flowering, the pods that are harvested young are eaten as vegetables or used to thicken soups and stews.
The plant is also called vegetable marshmallow and its fruits taste cooked or stir-fried, a mild vegetable for Mediterranean vegetable dishes, Arabic cuisine or delicious in Thai curries. This variety ("Clemson Spineless") is well adapted to the Central European climate.
Roasted Okra seeds are a very good and delicious decaffeinated coffee replacement. Because of the contained mucilage okra is also suitable as a medicinal plant, medically used is especially the root. As with many other mallows, the plant's fibrous stems are used to make handmade paper and for fiber extraction in general.
