The Goya is a fruit and just like the tomato, is more often erroneously classed as a vegetable by the uneducated masses. It looks like a large fat cucumber that is covered from stem to stern with venereal warts. I realize that this is a rather unpleasant way to describe it but sometimes the truth really can hurt. But it's also true that goya is also loaded with Vitamin C. A single Goya holds the equivilent of six lemons worth. Folks who live here claim it has medicinal properties that help people to beat the sweltering summer heat. It’s a safe bet that more Goya is consumed in Okinawa than all of Japan’s other 46 prefectures combined. It could easily be argued that the Goya is a symbol of Okinawa.

“Goya” as its called in Okinawa is known to most people in English speaking countries as “bitter melon.” Bitter melon tastes just as bad as it sounds. By itself it’s almost unpalatable. But, slice it up, throw it in a sauté pan with some firm tofu, a tasteless bean curd product made from soy beans, some spam, a totally unpalatable meat byproduct made from parts of the pig that would gag a maggot but somehow found suitable for American GI’s, throw in an egg and a few veggies that are about to spoil from the veggie tray in your refrigerator and you have a delicious meal called Goya Champuru. Unbelievable I know but, having tried it, I have to tell you its pretty darn good and one heck of a surprise to say the least.

Goya Republic is about having life deal you lemons and having the good sense to make lemonade from it!

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