That sticky trail inside sliced okra is not a culinary flaw; it is a built‑in food technology. The plant packs its pods with mucilage, a gel formed by soluble fiber and pectin that swells when it meets heat and water, then quietly rewires the texture of a dish.In biochemical terms, okra’s mucilage behaves like a mild hydrocolloid. Long polysaccharide chains unfold, bind water, and form a loose thr...More