Sinqua-Angled Luffa

SinQua/Luffa: two very similar spp., the Angled Luffa has an angled cross-section, whilst the Smooth Luffa has circular cross-section. Other than that both vegetables are similar in shape and interior. They are narrow and green and elongated when fresh. When dried, the interior turns to the fibrous matty material used in the bath as a ‘Loofa’.

In contrast, the smooth luffa do not have ridges and at the young edible stage, the fruit
is much shorter and fatter when compared with the angled luffa. Apparently, it yields more
edible mass compared with the angled version. Nothing much is left after the angled luffa
has its outer skin peeled off before cooking.There is another interesting use for the smooth luffa: mature smooth luffa fruits can be made into very good sponges which are bigger than those derived from other varieties of luffa. This is the reason why luffas are sometimes called “sponge gourds”. Luffa fruits grow at quite a fast rate and they need to be picked at a very young stage.

Fruits that have passed the edible stage can actually be picked and sun-dried to obtain the fibrous network which is essentially the 'sponge' When the fruits are dried properly, the skin that covers the exterior can be easily peeled off and seeds can be removed by
shaking them out. The vegetable sponge that result can be seen in the picture beside on the left while the immature, edible fruit is on the right. Mature smooth luffa fruits can grow quite large, up to 60 cm in length. However, bear in mind that is way past the edible stage! But a fruit of that size would make a sizable piece of vegetable sponge but one has to wait for about one to two months for the fruit to reach that size.