What's a "goya"?

Goya is one of the most famous Okinawan vegetables in Japan. The rough surface of goya is green, but its content is white and sometimes red. We do not eat goya very much, which has red content. We usually fry goya with tofu and pork, and then we can taste a little bitter. The fried dish is called goya-chample. Most of Japanese except people in Okinawa think that all Okinawan people like the dish, but some of them hate it. However, people who love goya eat it raw, deep fried and pickled. You may be able to like goya if you try eating it in several ways.