Bottle gourd or lauki is commonly used in Indian households. It is a vegetable belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family; other vegetables like cucumber, bitter gourd, squash, pumpkin and water-melon are also a part of this family. In India it is called Lauki in Hindi, Laau in Odia, Dudhi in Marathi, Sorekayi in Kannada. The vegetable is widely used in Indian households and is made into several dishes ranging from spicy ones to simple raita.