What does loofah mean?
loo·fah | \ˈlü-fə \. variants: or luffa. 1 : any of a genus (Luffa) of Old World tropical plants of the gourd family with white to yellow flowers and large usually elongate fruits that are sometimes eaten as vegetables when immature also : the fruit of a loofah.
What is a loofah sponge?
The vegetable is popular in India, China and Vietnam. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge which is used in bathrooms and kitchens. Luffa are not frost-hardy, and require 150 to 200 warm days to mature.
Is loofah fruit edible?
The fruit must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in India, China and Vietnam. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge which is used in bathrooms and kitchens.
Are loofahs natural or synthetic?
Synthetic loofahs – which are also commonly called bath poufs – are made from a plastic mesh material. Natural loofahs – also called luffas – come from a plant in the gourd family. This is the same family as pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. The flesh from the loofah plant is dried to create the loofah itself. 2. Are Loofahs a Natural Product?
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What is the origin of the word loofah?
loofah (n.) 1879 (as lough, 1865), from Egyptian Arabic lufah, the name of the plant (Luffa ægyptiaca) with fibrous pods from which flesh-brushes are made.
What does loofah mean in British?
loofah in British English (ˈluːfə ) noun. 1. the fibrous interior of the fruit of the dishcloth gourd, which is dried, bleached, and used as a bath sponge or for scrubbing. another name for dishcloth gourd.
Is loofah a real word?
Also called dish·cloth gourd [dish-klawth gawrd], rag gourd [rag-gawrd]. any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, of the gourd family, bearing large, elongated fruit.
Who came up with the word loofah?
Names. The name luffa was taken by European botanists in the 17th century from the Egyptian Arabic name لوف lūf.
What is loofah Tagalog?
The English word "luffa" can be translated as the following word in Tagalog: 1.) patola - [noun] silk squash; luffa; someone who always responds to trolling more...
What is another name for loofah?
Loofah Synonyms - WordHippo Thesaurus....What is another word for loofah?dishcloth gourdluffasponge gourdstrainer vinevegetable sponge1 more row
What does bite me mean in British?
used to say to someone that they have made you feel angry or embarrassed. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Causing feelings of anger and displeasure. aggravate. aggrieve.
Are loofahs dirty?
Loofahs can contain fungal organisms that lead to skin infections. “That's why it's important to make sure you keep your loofahs clean, replace them regularly and use them gently — do not rub your skin too vigorously.”
What is a Floofa?
Loofahs — sometimes spelled luffas — are popular shower accessories used for cleaning and exfoliating your skin. Some people think that “all-natural” loofahs are made of sea sponge or dried coral because of their coarse, spongy consistency. But natural loofahs are actually made from a gourd in the cucumber family.
Why are loofahs called loofahs?
From this culture, which called the sponge gourd “luf” in Arabic, came the establishment of the name of the Luffa genus, Luffa Aegyptiaca. (This is the same heirloom organic Luffa we grow and sell!). Over the eons and until the present day, the humble Luffa gourd has been used for food and juice when small and green.
Where is loofah native?
loofah, (genus Luffa), also spelled luffa, also called vegetable sponge, sponge gourd, or rag gourd, genus of seven species of annual climbing vines of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to the Old World tropics.
Can you eat loofahs?
Loofah is an edible plant, so you can harvest young and eat them in the same manner you would a young zucchini or summer squash. They are fickle plant in terms of taste, going from tender to terrible in a manner of weeks.
What does bite me mean in British?
used to say to someone that they have made you feel angry or embarrassed. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Causing feelings of anger and displeasure. aggravate. aggrieve.
What is a Lufer?
noun An obsolete form of lover .
What is a Floofa?
Loofahs — sometimes spelled luffas — are popular shower accessories used for cleaning and exfoliating your skin. Some people think that “all-natural” loofahs are made of sea sponge or dried coral because of their coarse, spongy consistency. But natural loofahs are actually made from a gourd in the cucumber family.
Are loofahs dirty?
Loofahs can contain fungal organisms that lead to skin infections. “That's why it's important to make sure you keep your loofahs clean, replace them regularly and use them gently — do not rub your skin too vigorously.”
How long do luffas last?
There are many benefits to using luffas. They are natural fibers, so that makes them great for the environment. They last for quite a long time, even up to a year. So once you make the investment, they are worth it.
Can you eat loofahs raw?
If you harvest your loofahs young, you can eat them raw or cooked. Loofahs have a flavor similar to zucchini. And they also have a small amount of slime like okra, but not as severe. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and antioxidants. They are commonly referred to as Chinese okra.
What is beerakaya used for?
In Telangana, it is called beerakaya. It is used in making Dal, Fry, Roti Pacchadi and wet curry. In Andhra Pradesh, it is called nethi beerakaya or beerakaya. And in Assam it is called jika (জিকা, Luffa acutangula) and bhula (ভোল, Luffa aegyptiaca ). It is used as a vegetable in a curry, chutney and stir fry.
What is a luffa sponge?
The luffa sponge is as biological cellular material. These materials often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties at low densities. While their mechanical performance tends to fall behind manmade materials such as alloys, ceramics, plastics, and composites, as a structural material, they have long term sustainability for the natural environment. When compressed longitudinally, a luffa sponge is able to absorb comparable energy per unit mass as aluminum foam. Luffa sponges are composed of a complex network of fiber bundles connected to form a 3-dimensional, highly- porous network.
How does a luffa sponge change?
The mechanical properties of Luffa sponges change under different strain rates. Specifically, energy adsorption, compressive stress, and plateau stress (which is in the case of foam materials corresponds to the yield stress) are enhanced by increasing the strain rate. One explanation for this is that the luffa fibers undergo more axial deformation when dynamically loaded (high strain rates) then when quasi-statically loaded (low strain rates).
Where did the luffa plant come from?
^ a b The plant name "luffa" was introduced to Western botany nomenclature by the botanist Johann Vesling (died 1649), who visited Egypt in the late–1620s and described the plant under cultivation with artificial irrigation in Egypt. In 1706 the botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort introduced the formal botany genus name "Luffa". Tournefort referred to Veslingius's earlier description and reiterated that "Luffa Arabum" is a plant from Egypt in the cucumber family. In establishing the genus Luffa, Tournefort identified just one member species and called it "Luffa Arabum". His 1706 article includes detailed drawings of this species (which is now called Luffa aegyptiaca). The species is native to tropical Asia but has been under cultivation in Egypt since late medieval times. The botanist Peter Forsskål visited Egypt in the early–1760s and noted that it was called ليف lūf in Arabic. In the 18th century the botanist Linnaeus adopted the name luffa for this species but assigned it to the genus Momordica, and did not use a separate genus Luffa. More refs on Luffa in 18th century botanical nomenclature: "A commentary on Loureiro's "Flora Cochinchinensis" ", by E.D. Merrill, year 1935, in Transactions of American Philosophical Society volume 24 part 2, pp 377-378. Luffa @ ATILF Archived 2013-10-17 at the Wayback Machine and " Suite de l'Etablissement de Quelques Nouveaux Genres de Plantes ", by J.P. de Tournefort (1706) in Mémoires de l'Academe Royale des Sciences année 1706.
What is a luffa?
Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber family ( Cucurbitaceae ). In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah, usually refers to the fruits of the species Luffa aegyptiaca and Luffa acutangula.
What is a gourd in Tamil?
In Assam, it is called bhul (ভুল) and is cooked with sour fish curry along with taro. In Tamil Nadu, the gourd is called peerkangai and used as a vegetable to make peerkangai kootu, poriyal, and thogayal. Even the skin is used to make chutney.
What is a torai?
In Hindi -speaking North Indian states, it is called torai ( तोरई ), and cooked as vegetable . But in central/Western India, specially in Madhya Pradesh, it is called gilki ( गिल्की ). Torai is reserved for ridge gourd and is less popular than gilki in central western India.