Maxixe

Simmered together with okra, this is the backbone of a Bahian maxixada.

Cooked down in dendê, the bitterness rounds out into something closer to a vegetable stew.

A sofrito base is what a mildly bitter, watery vegetable needs before anything else.

Acid and sweetness cover the bitterness the skin never fully loses.

Simmered in coconut milk, the vegetable turns from bitter and watery to something creamy.

Heat distracts from a skin bitterness some cooks peel away entirely instead.

Raw sulfur against a green bitterness; the two read as one savoury vegetable dish.

Coastal Bahian cooking pairs it with shellfish more often than with meat.

Raw and thinly sliced, its bitterness works closer to a cucumber salad than anyone expects.