Benincasa fistulosa, commonly known as tinda, also called Indian squash, round melon, Indian round gourd, apple gourd or Indian baby pumpkin, is a squash-like cucurbit grown for its immature fruit, a vegetable especially popular in South Asia.
Description and use in cooking
The plant is as with all cucurbits, a prolific vine, and is grown as an annual. The plant also is prickly with small thorns. The fruit is approximately spherical, and 5–8 cm in diameter. The seeds may also be roasted and eaten. Tinda is a famous nickname among Punjabi families in both India and Pakistan.
This unique squash-like gourd is native to India and Pakistan, in Sanskrit . It is called tindsi in Rajasthan, and in Marathi it is called dhemase (ढेमसे). In Hindi and Marathi it is called dilpasand, and in Sindhi it is called meha ().
Similarly-named plants
Tinda can be confused with tendli or kundru due to similar-sounding names from different languages and regions. In Punjabi, Hindi, and most other North Indian languages, the word tinda means "Indian baby pumpkin".
Production
Global production of the tinda fruit was estimated to be about 1.3 million tonnes in 2013. India is the largest producer of tinda, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Other major producing countries include China, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.