I would like to share a recipe from Apicius for bottle gourd Alexandrian fashion. The best are slightly sweet, tender, and free of bitterness, but the natural flavor of older gourds may be masked by the sauce.

Drain a boiled gourd, season with salt, arrange in a dish. Crush pepper, cumin, coriander seed, fresh mint, asafoetida root. Moisten with vinegar. Add caryota dates, pine kernels; crush. Blend with honey, vinegar, fish sauce, concentrated grape juice, and oil. Pour the whole over the gourd. Bring to the boil, season with pepper and serve.      Apicius 3.4.3 [André]