Okra originated in the tropical rainforest region of West and Central Africa and was brought to America via the Middle Passage. Enslaved Africans consumed the okra grown in the fields of plantation America, often seasoning it with cayenne pepper and salt. Although today okra is frequently prepared in an unhealthy manner—deep-fried—it is extremely nutritious when served roasted or steamed. Okra is low in calories and an excellent source of fiber, vitamins such as Vitamin B6 and folate, and numerous minerals.



The History Makers Featured Audio Clip:          This is a clip of Paul Adams, Civil Rights Activist and High School Principal, on his favorite food.



Here is an excerpt from one of our classmates' final portfolio! We believe it is one of the best quotes on okra. We hope you like it:



"Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor empathized with gombos and related her

struggles with being mislabeled to gombos’ identity crisis:  “I am a
black woman.  I am tired of people calling me out of my name.  Okra
must be sick of that mess too.  So from now on call it like it is.
Okra will be referred to in this book as gombo” (75).  While it will
be hard to transition gombo into my vernacular in place of okra, I
will try to do my best in the future to make sure to treat the
delicious vegetable with respect and call it by its real name"

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                                                             -Baxter Matthews, Vanderbilt University          

                                                               2013-Political Science and Economics



HEALTHY RECIPE FOR ROASTED OKRA

A better nutritional option for eating okra is roasting the okra instead of frying it. Here is a recipe for roasted okra that we found via The New York Times.

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Ingredients

1 pound okra

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Fresh thyme leaves to taste (optional)

Freshly ground pepper



Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the okra, and drain on a kitchen towel. The okra should be dry. Trim away the stem ends and the tips, just the very ends, and then place the okra in a large bowl. Salt to taste, and toss with the olive oil until coated. Lift the okra from the bowl, leaving behind any excess oil. Place on a sheet pan in one layer. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes (large okra might take a little longer), shaking the pan every five minutes. The okra should be lightly browned and tender, with a nice seared aroma. If you don’t want it to brown as much, set the oven at 400 degrees. Remove from the heat, toss with fresh thyme, if desired, and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot.



Nutritional Information

(four servings): 95 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 2 grams protein



Here is a Youtube Video that shows how to cook a healthier roasted okra recipe.

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