If vegetables had a pageant, and “Miss Blandness" was a title, ash gourd would win it hands down, with lauki (bottle gourd) as the close runner-up. These are the wallflowers of the produce world ...

Why should you eat ash gourd during the summer? Interestingly, it is cooked and eaten like a vegetable despite being a fruit and can be seen as the star of dishes like curries, stews and sides.

Petha, also known as ash gourd or white pumpkin, got its name from the popular sweet of Agra. The mithai is the candied version of the vegetable, but trust us, it is more than just a sweet. The ...