Gac

Gac, from the Vietnamese gấc, scientific name Momordica cochinchinensis, is a plant in the melon and cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae, native to countries throughout Southeast Asia and to Queensland, Australia. It is notable for a vivid orange-reddish colour from a mix of beta-carotene and lycopene. It is a perennial tendril climber, meaning it climbs by coiling tendrils, with palmate leaves of three to five lobes. It is dioecious, so male and female flowers grow on separate plants, and the mature flowers have five yellowish petals and a black centre. The fruit is ovoid and covered with small spines. Gac has long been used as food and traditional medicine in its native countries, and its use as a folk medicine dates back centuries in China and Vietnam. The aril surrounding the ripe seeds is cooked with sticky rice to make xôi gac, a traditional Vietnamese dish served during Tết, the Lunar New Year.