Suffering, Bitter

Interesting Fact

Okinawa is famous for ゴーヤー (gōyā), or bitter melon, whose intensely bitter taste is a defining feature of Okinawan cooking. One of the region's best-known dishes, ゴーヤーチャンプルー, combines bitter melon with ingredients such as tofu and egg. What makes this surprising is that the bitterness isn't removed—it is deliberately celebrated as part of the dish. A taste many people instinctively dislike became one of Okinawa's signature flavors.