Momordica cochinchinensis
| Gac | |
|---|---|
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| Exterior and cross-sectional interior of gac | |
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Rare (NCA)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Momordica |
| Species: | M. cochinchinensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Momordica cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng. |
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Gac is a fruit produced by Momordica cochinchinensis, which is found throughout the Southeast Asian region from South China to Northeastern Australia, including Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
It is commonly known as gac from the Vietnamese gấc (pronounced [ɣək˦˥]) or quả gấc (quả being a classifier for spherical objects such as fruit). It is known as mùbiēguǒ in Chinese and variously as red melon, baby jackfruit, spiny bitter gourd or cochinchin gourd in English. In Thai, it is pronounced fahk khao and taw thabu in Myanmar.
Because it has a relatively short harvest season (which peaks in December and January), making it less abundant than other foods, gac is typically served at ceremonial or festive occasions in Vietnam, such as Tết (the Vietnamese new year) and weddings. It is most commonly prepared as a dish called xôi gấc, in which the aril and seeds of the fruit are cooked in glutinous rice, imparting both their color and flavor. More recently, the fruit has begun to be marketed outside of Asia in the form of juice dietary supplements because of its high content.
Gac grows on dioecious vines and is usually collected from fence climbers or from wild plants. The vines can be commonly seen growing on lattices at the entrances to rural homes or in gardens. It only fruits once a year, and is found seasonally in local markets. The fruit itself becomes a dark orange color upon ripening, and is typically round or oblong, maturing to a size of about 13 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter. Its exterior skin is covered in small spines while its dark red interior consists of clusters of fleshy pulp and seeds.
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Wikipedia