The bitter smell of success

BITTER in the mouth, medicine for the body, is an old Chinese saying which explains why some people eat bitter melon.

The others who eat it - which is by no means all of the other people - simply like it. Prepared well, bitter melon offers surprisingly tasty refreshment on hot summer days.

Bitter melon is a close cousin to the likes of cucumber, zucchini, fuzzy melon, watermelon, winter melon and even cantaloupe. Indians curry it. Sri Lankans pickle it. Indonesians serve it in salads. The Cantonese consider it a summer food, and stir-fry,braise, or boil it with fish, pork, beef or eggs.

For some palates, the quality of bitterness is an unforgivable sin. For those educated in Asian nutritional theory, however, it can be a virtue. As an example sans pareil of the bitter flavour (the other basic flavours being sweet, sour, salty, and pungent), this melon is synonymous with ''cold'' energy and strong powers of detoxification. Eating bitter melon, according to local wisdom, can cool the body, cleanse the blood and improve the liver with immediate benefits to the eyes and skin.

Buying & Storage: Identify bitter melon by its green corrugated skin, which has bubbles and warts in parallel bands running from broad base to tapered tip. Typical specimens measure 4-5in in length. Firm, greener, younger ones are preferred for their crisper texture, in spite of a tendency to be more bitter. Older melons turn yellow (and will have bright red seeds inside); they are milder but the softening texture will not hold up to vigorous stir-frying.

Storage: Store these melons as you would other melons, preferably loose (not encased in plastic) so that air can circulate around them and they will keep a week or more.

Preparation: Experienced cooks offer two suggestions for preparing bitter melon palatably. First, pre-treat to remove some bitterness; second, season with a pinch of sugar and a dash of something spicy to soothe and stimulate the stomach.