Bitter melon originated from india and was introduced into china during the 14th century. After this bitter melon has become a chinese household regular vegetable and is as popular now as it was a few hundred years ago. Bitter melon taste bitter, just as the name suggests. The texture can be either crunchy or soft depending on how you prepare it. I personally love bitter melon nowadays but i really didnt like it until one point when my mother made me a dish called stir-fry bitter melon with pork and since then ive loved this weird looking and funny tasting vegetable. In chinese culture its believed eating bitter melon can help reduce blood sugar, help your liver recover and detox your body. Another interesting fact about bitter melon. Most of the time, bitter melons in taiwan are white in color and not green. We have the green variety but the most popular type of bitter melon in taiwan are the white color ones. White bitter melons tend to be softer in texture and more bitter in flavor. To date ive only come across green bitter melons in the uk and these tend to be quite small but white bitter melons in taiwan are usually the size of a beer bottle. You can have a look at this article how to prepare bitter melon to learn how to prepare bitter melon ready to be cooked. Here are three of popular bitter melon recipes:.