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Winter Melon
A large, mild gourd with white flesh — often hollowed out and slow-cooked whole in Cantonese soup.
2 recipes use this ingredient
Winter Melon
| Nutrient | Per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 13 mg |
| Fibre | 2.9 g |
| Calcium | 19 mg |
Not a common allergen. It is not on the UK list of 14 foods that must be declared on labels.
How to serve Winter Melon to babies
6–8 months
Mashed
Peel, deseed and steam until soft, then mash. The flesh cooks very soft, so there is little to prepare beyond removing the tough skin and seeds.
9–11 months
Bite-size pieces
Steamed soft cubes once your baby can pick up small pieces.
12–24 months
Bite-size pieces
Cooked soft, with the family meal.
Per 100 g from USDA FDC (168448). Not medical advice.
TCM benefits of Winter Melon
冬瓜 · dōng guā
How winter melon is seen in traditional Chinese food therapy. Traditional context, not medical advice.
- Classed as sweet, bland and cool, with an early record giving it as slightly cold, and associated with the Lung, the intestines and the Bladder.
- It is cooked in soups with pork or pork bones and often served in the scooped-out gourd. At New Year it is also candied.
- Cantonese homes regard it as the summer soup melon, simmered with lean pork, dried scallop or barley.
- Wang Shixiong's handbook says to eat it hot, since cold it loosens the bowels, and the Bencao Jingshu advises against it for deficient cold and long-standing loose stools.
Sources: 隨息居飲食譜 (Wang Shixiong, 1861), 冬瓜, entry; 本草經疏 (Bencao Jingshu), 冬瓜 entry
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Winter Melon: common questions
Answers are drawn from the sources named on this page. Not medical or veterinary advice.
When can babies eat winter melon?
The earliest stage on this page is 6–8 months: Peel, deseed and steam until soft, then mash. The flesh cooks very soft, so there is little to prepare beyond removing the tough skin and seeds.
How do I cut and serve winter melon for my baby?
6–8 months (Mashed): Peel, deseed and steam until soft, then mash. The flesh cooks very soft, so there is little to prepare beyond removing the tough skin and seeds.
9–11 months (Bite-size pieces): Steamed soft cubes once your baby can pick up small pieces.
12–24 months (Bite-size pieces): Cooked soft, with the family meal.