Guinea Bean or Snake Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria var.)
A member of the bottle gourd tribe, Guinea Bean bears light green, cylindrical fruits up to 5’ long with creamy-white flesh similar to squash. It was believed to originate from New Guinea, hence the name, but it is now known to hail from Africa and is also considered a traditional Italian vegetable called cucuzza. The bottle gourd may have been carried intentionally from Africa to Asia, Europe, & the Americas in the course of human migration, or by seeds floating across the oceans inside the gourd. It is proven to have existed in the New World prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. For cooking, pick the green fruits when less than 2’ long and prepare like squash.
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