The Drumstick tree grows to a tall 10-15 metre height. The branches of the tree are spread out and the leaves are tiny, greenish with a very strong aroma upon plucking. The tree is primarily well known for the green pods popularly known as Drumstick (English), Shevgyaa chya Shengaa (Marathi), Nuggekayee (Kannada), Maskaa Saang/ Mashingaa Saang (Amchi GSB Konkani).
The tall, slender green pods of the fruit of Drumstick have a soft, slimy pulp which is very tasty. The Drumstick pods taste good when they are tender. The Drumstick can be chopped and used for various curries, sambhar or simply fritters as per choice. The green skin of the drumstick has to be lightly chopped off to expose the light green surface area of the pod. They cook very easily and change color to dark green upon cooking. The leaves are also used for various dishes ranging from Subji's to curries. The flower of the tree (Phool in Konkani) can also be tweaked and used as per taste. Only the white flowers and white buds are used for edible use. The tree is widely cultivated and harvested for edible use in various pockets of Central America, Africa and Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia et al.
The nutrition value of the Drumstick cannot be undermined. The bark, green pods, leaves and flowers have ample curative properties including being rich source of Iron, Potassium, Beta Carotene and Vitamin C. Special mention needs to be given to the Drumstick leaves which is a storehouse of nutrition and is endowed with lot of curative elements.
Nicely written! I recently came to know drumsticks have very high content of calcium and are very good for bones
ReplyDelete@ Parita -
ReplyDeleteThanks. The leaves are a treasure trove of vital nutrients essential for good health.